§471.1. Survivors' benefits; members hired on or after January 1, 2011

A. Survivors benefits shall be due and payable by the system effective the first day of the next month following the death of a member whose first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state systems occurred on or after January 1, 2011, but shall not be paid until a properly completed and acceptable application is received by the system and all proper certifications have been received by the system.

B.(1) A surviving spouse with a minor or handicapped child, or mentally disabled child, or children shall be paid per month, for so long as one or more children remain eligible for benefits under Subsection C of this Section, fifty percent of the benefit to which the member would have been entitled if he had retired on the date of his death using the member's applicable accrual rate regardless of years of service or age, or six hundred dollars per month, whichever is greater, provided the deceased member was an active member at the time of death and had five or more years of service credit, at least two years of which were earned immediately prior to death or provided the deceased member had twenty or more years of service credit regardless of when earned or whether the deceased member was in active service at the time of death.

(2)(a) Benefits shall cease upon remarriage, and the surviving spouse shall be liable to the system for repayment of any survivor benefits received subsequent to his remarriage. The surviving spouse shall notify the system in writing within thirty days of his remarriage. Failure to provide such notice shall constitute fraud for purposes of R.S. 11:543.

(b) Benefits shall resume upon a subsequent divorce from or death of a new spouse.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, if the member was eligible to retire on the date of his death, benefits shall not cease upon remarriage.

(3) When all surviving children cease to be eligible for benefits under Subsection C of this Section, the surviving spouse shall cease to receive benefits provided by this Subsection and thereafter, if eligible, shall receive benefits in accordance with the provisions of Subsection D of this Section.

C.(1) In addition to the amount payable in accordance with Subsection B of this Section, for the benefit of the surviving minor child, or children, there shall be paid for each such child, subject to a maximum of two children, per month fifty percent of the benefit to which a spouse would be entitled under Subsection B of this Section. Benefits shall be payable to such children even if no spouse is eligible for survivor benefits, provided the member had at least five years of service credit. Benefits for a child shall cease when the child is no longer a minor child as defined by this Chapter. No surviving minor child shall receive more than one survivor's benefit at any one time. If two benefits are applicable, only the larger shall be paid.

(2)(a) In addition to the amount payable in accordance with Subsection B of this Section, the surviving totally physically handicapped or mentally disabled child or children of a deceased member, whether under or over the age of eighteen years, shall be entitled to the same benefits, payable in the same manner, as are provided by this Section for minor children, if the child was totally physically handicapped or mentally disabled at the time of the death of the member and is dependent upon the surviving spouse or other legal guardian.

(b) The surviving spouse or legal guardian shall provide adequate proof of handicap or mental disability of such surviving child or children and shall notify the board of any subsequent changes in the child's condition which cause the child to no longer be dependent upon the surviving spouse or legal guardian and any changes in the assistance being received from other state agencies. The board may require a certified statement of the child's eligibility status at the end of each calendar year.

D.(1) A surviving spouse without a minor or handicapped child, or mentally disabled child, or children shall be paid per month, for the remainder of his life, the Option 2-A equivalent of the benefit amount based on years of service that the member had earned to the date of his death using the applicable accrual rate, or six hundred dollars per month, whichever is greater, provided the surviving spouse had been married to the deceased member for at least one year prior to death, and provided the deceased member was an active member at the time of death and had ten or more years of service credit, at least two years of which were earned immediately prior to death or provided the deceased member had twenty or more years of service credit regardless of when earned or whether the deceased member was in active service at the time of death.

(2)(a) Benefits shall cease upon remarriage, and the surviving spouse shall be liable to the system for repayment of any survivor benefits received subsequent to his remarriage. The surviving spouse shall notify the system in writing within thirty days of his remarriage. Failure to provide such notice shall constitute fraud for purposes of R.S. 11:543.

(b) Benefits shall resume upon a subsequent divorce from or death of a new spouse.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, if the member was eligible to retire on the date of his death, benefits shall not cease upon remarriage.

E. The accumulated contributions of a deceased member shall be paid in a lump sum refund to the natural person or persons that he designated as his beneficiary, or to his succession if there is no designated beneficiary, but only if no benefits under Subsection A, B, C, D, F, or G of this Section are payable. Payment of accumulated contributions shall be made only upon receipt of the deceased member's death certificate. Said payment to the named beneficiary or the estate cancels all liability of the system to the deceased member, his named beneficiary, or his estate.

F. In the event of death of a member leaving a surviving spouse and dependent children, the total of the benefits payable under Subsections B and C of this Section shall not be less each month than the amount that would have been payable under Subsection D of this Section for as long as both spouse and children are eligible to receive benefits under Subsection B and C of this Section.

G. If a member dies, even after retirement, eligible children shall receive the benefits under Subsection C of this Section.

H. The benefits payable under Subsection C of this Section shall be paid to the person having legal custody of the property of the child, except in those cases when a trust created under law has been created by the deceased member for the benefit of the child, the terms of the instrument creating the trust so provide and the system has been provided with a certified copy of the trust document, then the survivor benefit shall be paid to the trust for addition to the trust property. In the event that the trust is contested by any party, the system shall withhold all benefit payments or deposit them in the registry of the court if a concursus proceeding is filed, until there is a final binding legal agreement or judgment regarding the proper payment of benefits. If the trust terminates under the terms of the trust prior to the death of the child, then benefits shall be payable as otherwise provided under this Subsection. The trustee of the trust shall immediately notify the system in writing of the death of the child.

Acts 2010, No. 992, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2011, No. 368, §1, eff. July 1, 2011; Acts 2014, No. 851, §1, Jan. 1, 2015; Acts 2014, No. 852, §1, eff. June 30, 2014.