Sec. 841.0091. DIVISION OF BENEFITS ON DIVORCE OF MEMBER. (a) On receipt of a qualified domestic relations order incident to a divorce that awards a portion of a member's accrued benefit to a former spouse of the member and that strictly follows the terms and format of the model qualified domestic relations order, as well as any other requirements, adopted by the board of trustees for this purpose, the retirement system shall divide the accrued benefit into two separate benefits that, in combination at the time of division, are actuarially equivalent to the undivided accrued benefit.

(b) Following a division described by Subsection (a), the portion of the accrued benefit awarded the alternate payee is considered the alternate payee's sole and separate property in which the member has no interest. The board of trustees by rule shall define and specify the rights and responsibilities of the alternate payee and the terms and features of the benefit awarded the alternate payee under the order, but in no event may the alternate payee vest in the accrued benefit before the member vests or attain greater rights than are attained by the member or the member's beneficiary.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 804.101, the board of trustees by rule may prescribe terms on which the interest awarded the alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order described by this section may be transferred at the alternate payee's death.

(d) The board of trustees has sole authority and discretion to:

(1) specify the terms and format that are required for a qualified domestic relations order to be acceptable for purposes of Subsection (a);

(2) require strict compliance for qualification;

(3) specify the dates on which a distribution to an alternate payee may or must begin; and

(4) establish rules for the administration of this section.

(e) This section applies to all domestic relations orders described by this section that the retirement system first determines to be qualified on or after September 1, 2009, and to those domestic relations orders determined to be qualified before September 1, 2009, that the system further determines can be construed to allow a division described by this section without harm or injury to the member's interest awarded under the original qualified order. The actuarial equivalent value of the accrued benefit payable to an alternate payee may not be greater than the actuarial equivalent value of the accrued benefit as if there had been no division and the accrued benefit had been payable to the member in the form of an annuity.

Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 300 (H.B. 407), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2009.