Section 21547.7 Of Article 2. Preretirement Death Benefits From California Government Code >> Division 5. >> Title 2. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 14. >> Article 2.
21547.7
. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article
requiring attainment of the minimum age for voluntary service
retirement applicable to him or her in his or her last employment
preceding death, upon the death of a local firefighter member while
in the employ of an agency subject to this section on or after
January 1, 2001, who is credited with 20 years or more of state
service, the surviving spouse, or eligible children, if there is no
eligible spouse, may receive a monthly allowance in lieu of the basic
death benefit. The board shall notify the eligible survivor, as
defined in Section 21546, of this alternate death benefit. The board
shall calculate the monthly allowance that shall be payable as
follows:
(1) To the member's surviving spouse, an amount equal to the
amount the member would have received if he or she had retired for
service at the minimum retirement age on the date of death and had
elected optional settlement 2 and Section 21459. The retirement
allowance shall be calculated using all service earned by the member
in this system.
(2) If the member made a specific beneficiary designation under
Section 21490, the monthly allowance shall be based only on that
portion of the amount the member would have received described in
paragraph (1) that would have been derived from the nonmember spouse'
s community property interest in the member's contributions and
service credit.
(3) If there is no surviving spouse or the spouse dies before all
of the children of the deceased member attain the age of 18 years, to
the surviving children, under the age of 18 years, collectively, an
amount equal to one-half of, and derived from the same source as, the
unmodified allowance the member would have received if he or she had
retired for service at the minimum retirement age on the date of
death. No child shall receive any allowance after marrying or
attaining the age of 18 years. As used in this paragraph, "surviving
children" includes a posthumously born child or children of the
member. The retirement allowance shall be calculated using all
service earned by the member in this system.
(4) The cost of the allowance paid pursuant to this subdivision
shall be paid from the assets of the employer at the member's date of
death. All member contributions made by the member to this system
shall be transferred to the plan assets of the employer liable for
the funding of this benefit.
(b) (1) Upon the death of a local firefighter member while in the
employ of an agency subject to this section on or after January 1,
2001, who is credited with 20 years or more of state service and who
has attained the minimum age for voluntary service retirement
applicable to him or her in his or her last employment preceding
death, the surviving spouse may elect to receive a monthly allowance
that is equal to the amount that member would have received if the
member had been retired from service on the date of death and had
elected optional settlement 2 and Section 21459 in lieu of the basic
death benefit. The retirement allowance shall be calculated using all
service earned by the member in this system.
(2) If the member made a specific beneficiary designation under
Section 21490, the monthly allowance shall be based only on that
portion of the amount the member would have received described in
paragraph (1) that would have been derived from the nonmember spouse'
s community property interest in the member's contributions and
service credit.
(3) If there is no surviving spouse or the spouse dies before all
of the children of the deceased member attain the age of 18 years,
the allowance shall continue to the surviving children, under the age
of 18 years, collectively, in an amount equal to one-half of, and
derived from the same source as, the unmodified allowance the member
would have received if he or she had been retired from service on the
date of death. No child shall receive any allowance after marrying
or attaining the age of 18 years. As used in this paragraph,
"surviving children" includes a posthumously born child or children
of the member. The retirement allowance will be calculated using all
service earned by the member in this system.
(4) The cost of the increase in service allowance paid pursuant to
this subdivision shall be paid from the assets of the employer at
the member's date of death.
(c) This section shall not apply to any contracting agency, nor to
the employees of any contracting agency, unless and until the agency
elects to be subject to this section by amendment to its contract
made in the manner prescribed for approval of contracts, except that
an election among the employees is not required.