1. Except as limited by subsections 3 and 4, the spouse of a deceased member who had 10 or more years of accredited contributing service is entitled to receive a monthly allowance equivalent to that provided by:

(a) Option 3 in NRS 286.590, if the deceased member had less than 15 years of service on the date of the member’s death; or

(b) Option 2 in NRS 286.590, if the deceased member had more than 15 years of service on the date of the member’s death.

To apply the provisions of Options 2 and 3, the deceased member shall be deemed to have retired on the date of the member’s death immediately after having named the spouse as beneficiary under the applicable option. This benefit must be computed without any reduction for age for the deceased member. The benefits provided by this subsection must be paid to the spouse for the remainder of the spouse’s life.

2. The spouse may elect to receive the benefits provided by any one of the following only:

(a) This section;

(b) NRS 286.674; or

(c) NRS 286.6766.

3. The benefit payable to the spouse of a member who died before May 19, 1975, is limited to a spouse who received at least 50 percent of the spouse’s support from the member during the 6 months immediately preceding the member’s death and to the amounts provided in this subsection. If, at the time of the member’s death, the member had 15 or more years of service and did not elect an optional retirement plan as offered in this chapter, the deceased member’s spouse, upon attaining the age of 60 years, may receive a cumulative benefit of at least $450 per month or 50 percent of the average salary received by the member for the 3 consecutive highest salaried years of the member’s last 10 years of service, whichever is less. Payments, or the right to receive payments, must cease upon the death of the spouse. Benefits under this section are not renewable following termination.

4. The benefits provided by paragraph (a) of subsection 1 may only be paid to the spouses of members who died on or after May 19, 1975.

(Added to NRS by 1963, 984; A 1967, 1093; 1975, 1059; 1979, 260, 758; 1981, 457; 1987, 684; 1989, 1027; 1995, 254; 1999, 2622)