Sec. 405.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this act, if a person ceases to be a member before satisfying the age and service requirements for a retirement allowance under section 501 or 501b, the retirement system shall pay to the person his or her accumulated contributions upon request.

(2) If a member dies and a retirement allowance is not or will not become payable on account of the member's death, the retirement system shall pay the deceased member's accumulated contributions at the time of death to the refund beneficiary. If a refund beneficiary is not nominated or the refund beneficiary fails to survive the deceased member, the retirement system shall pay the deceased member's accumulated contributions to the deceased member's estate or legal representative.

(3) If a retirant and his or her option A beneficiary, option B beneficiary, or spouse, if applicable, dies before an aggregate amount of retirement allowance equal to the deceased retirant's accumulated contributions at the time of retirement has been paid, the retirement system shall pay the difference between the deceased retirant's accumulated contributions and the aggregate amount of retirement allowance paid to the deceased retirant's refund beneficiary. If a refund beneficiary is not nominated or the refund beneficiary fails to survive the retirant and his or her option A beneficiary, option B beneficiary, or spouse, the retirement system shall pay the difference to the estate or legal representative of the last to die of the retirant or his or her option A beneficiary, option B beneficiary, or spouse.

(4) A judge or state official who becomes a member under section 401(1)(a) may nominate a refund beneficiary in the membership form under section 401 or a member, vested former member, or retirant may nominate a refund beneficiary in a nominating form furnished by the retirement system. A member, vested former member, or retirant shall file the nominating form with the retirement system, which form is not valid until received by the retirement system. The member or retirant may nominate a different refund beneficiary by delivering a new nominating form to the retirement system. The retirement system shall disregard the nomination of a refund beneficiary in the membership form and all nominating forms previously filed by a member or retirant upon receipt of a more recent nominating form under this subsection.

History: 1992, Act 234, Eff. Mar. 31, 1993 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 95, Imd. Eff. Mar. 27, 2002