Sec. 1.02. DEFINITIONS. The following words and phrases have the meanings assigned by this section unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
(1) "Accumulated deposits" means the amount standing to the credit of a member derived from the deposits required to be made by the member to the police retirement system or to the predecessor system. Accumulated deposits also include interest that is credited annually to the account of a vested member at a rate of five percent or the rate determined by the board and that is credited as of December 31 to amounts standing to the credit of the member on January 1 of the same calendar year. Accumulated deposits also include interest credited to the account of a member before September 1, 2007, without regard to whether the member is vested at the time the interest is credited to the member's account.
(2) "Actuarial equivalent" means any benefit of equal present value to a standard benefit when computed as specified by this Act.
(3) "Actuary" means a technical advisor of the police retirement board regarding the operations which are based on mortality, service, and compensation experience who makes periodic valuations of the assets and liabilities of the funds and other evaluations as requested by the board.
(4) "Average final compensation" means the monthly average of basic hourly earnings of a member during, as applicable:
(A) if the member has 120 months or more of service during which the member made contributions to the system or the predecessor system, the 36 months which yielded the highest average during the last 120 months of membership service during which the member contributed to the system or the predecessor system;
(B) if the member has less than 120 months of membership service during which the member contributed to the system or the predecessor system, but has at least 36 months of membership service during which the member made contributions to the system or the predecessor system, the average of the 36 months which yielded the highest average; or
(C) if the member does not have 36 months of membership service during which the member contributed to the system or the predecessor system, the average of the member's months of membership service during which the member made contributions to the system or the predecessor system.
(5) "Basic hourly earnings" means the hourly rate of the sum of base pay plus longevity pay but does not include any other type of pay.
(6) "Beneficiary" means any person, trust, or estate properly designated by a member or retired member to receive benefits from the system.
(7) "Creditable service" means the number of months during which a member pays into and keeps on deposit the amounts of money prescribed by this Act to be paid by the member into the system or into the predecessor system, including certain military service and certain probationary service in excess of six months for which a member has purchased creditable service in accordance with Article V of this Act, and excluding a month in which service amounted to fewer than 15 days. The months beyond attained age 62 are included within the meaning of creditable service, regardless of payments into this system or into the predecessor system if the police officer is otherwise eligible for membership in the system, is a police officer employed by the city, and did not contribute for the months only if they occurred before September 1, 1995.
(8) "Death benefit" means a single sum payable as a result of the death of a member or retired member.
(9) "Deposits" means the amount required to be paid by members in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(10) "Disability retirement" means the employment termination of a member from service with a disability retirement benefit as provided under this Act.
(11) "Employment termination" means:
(A) the voluntary termination of employment with the city or the system; or
(B) the involuntary termination of employment with the city or the system of a member who does not appeal the termination through arbitration or through the civil service commission or whose appeal has been denied by arbitration or by the civil service commission.
(12) "Fund No. 1" means the part of the trust assets consisting of all accumulated deposits of members who have not withdrawn from the system.
(13) "Fund No. 2" means the part of the trust assets consisting of all money contributed by the city, interest earned thereon, and all accumulations and earnings of the system except those of Fund No. 1.
(14) "Investment consultant" means a person who monitors the investment performance of the system and provides other services as requested by the board.
(15) "Investment manager" means a person or persons who monitor and manage any portion of the investment portfolio for the system making specified investment decisions on behalf of the system.
(16) "Life annuity," "retirement annuity," or "annuity" means a series of equal monthly payments, payable for life after retirement.
(17) "Life annuity (modified cash refund)" means a series of equal monthly payments, payable for life after retirement. In the event of death of the retired member before that member has received monthly payments equal to the amount of that member's accumulated deposits at the date of retirement, the excess, if any, of such accumulated deposits over the monthly payments shall be refunded in one sum to the member's beneficiary.
(18) "Member" means any police officer or employee of the police retirement system included in the system under this Act and approved for membership by the police retirement board. In any case of doubt regarding the eligibility of an employee to become or remain a member of the system, the decision of the police retirement board shall be final.
(19) "Normal retirement date" means the last day of the earliest month in which the member has satisfied the eligibility requirements of Section 6.02 of this Act.
(20) "Predecessor system" means the retirement system for police officers in effect before January 1, 1980.
(21) "Police officer" means any full-time commissioned police officer employed by the police department of the city pursuant to Chapter 143, Local Government Code.
(22) "Police retirement board" or "board" means the board of trustees of the police retirement system created by Section 3.01 of this Act for the purpose of administering the system.
(23) "Police retirement system" or " system" means a retirement and pensioning system for police officers of certain cities and for employees of the system established by Section 2.01 of this Act.
(24) "Retired member" means a member who is receiving a service or disability retirement benefit.
(25) "Retirement" means employment termination in order to receive an annuity in accordance with the provisions of the police retirement system under this Act.
(26) "Retirement date" means the last day of the month of the retirement of the member.
(27) "Service" or "active service" means service as a police officer of the city paid for by the city or service as a member of the police retirement system's administrative staff paid for by the system.
(28) "Spouse" means a spouse as recognized under the laws of this state.
(29) "Survivor benefit" means a series of equal monthly payments payable as a result of the death of a member after becoming eligible for service retirement but before retirement and computed as if the member had retired on the last day of the month of death.
(30) "Vested" means a member has a right to leave the member's accumulated deposits standing to the member's credit with the system and receive a service retirement benefit on attaining the age at which service retirement benefits become payable. A member is vested on attaining 10 years of creditable service.
(31) "Vested interest" means the amount of benefit to which a member has a nonforfeitable right in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(32) "Withdrawal" means employment termination for any cause whatsoever prior to retirement date and the subsequent receipt or direct rollover of the accumulated deposits standing to the member's credit in the police retirement system.
(33) "Withdrawal benefit" means the accumulated deposits of a member on withdrawal which have been made in one lump sum unless specifically provided otherwise in this Act.
