PRE-RETIREMENT SURVIVOR BENEFITS. . . 

     Surviving spouses of LAGERS members who die before retirement may be entitled to receive survivor's benefits.

1.        If a member is vested in LAGERS, is no longer working for a LAGERS employer, and dies:

·         The spouse of the deceased would be eligible to receive a survivor benefit if he or she had been married to the deceased member for at least two years prior to the member’s death.

·         The benefit would be payable beginning on the date when the deceased member would have attained normal retirement age, or the first of the month following the date of death, whichever is later.

·         The benefit would be calculated based on the deceased members credited service, final average salary at time of termination from LAGERS employment, and the Option A retirement payment option.

2.        If a member is vested in LAGERS, is currently working for a LAGERS employer, and dies as a result of a non-duty-related injury or illness:

·         The spouse of the deceased would be eligible to receive a survivor benefit if he or she had been married to the deceased member for at least two years prior to the member’s death. The two year requirement is waived if the member’s death was accidental

·         The benefit would be payable on the first day of the month following the member’s death.

·         The benefit would be calculated based on service credit, final average salary at time of death and the Option A retirement payment option.

3.        If a LAGERS member is currently working for a LAGERS employer and dies as a result of a duty/job-related injury or illness:

·         The spouse of the deceased would be eligible to receive a survivor benefit if he or she was married to the member on the onset of his or her injury or illness that caused the death.

·         The benefit would be payable on the first day of the month following the member’s death.

·         The benefit would be calculated based on amount of service credit the deceased would have attained at age 60 or the date the member would have acquired five years of credited service, if later, and the Option A retirement payment option.

·         The deceased member does NOT need to be vested at time of death for a survivor benefit to be payable.

In all cases, a pre-retirement survivor's benefit is payable for the life of the surviving spouse.

Additional benefits may be payable to the dependent children of the deceased member if the member was currently working for a LAGERS employer at the time of their death, and surviving spouse benefits are no longer payable.  (A child is considered to be ‘dependent’ until death, marriage, or attainment of age eighteen, whichever occurs first. The age eighteen maximum shall be extended as long as the child is uninterruptedly a full-time student at an accredited secondary school, college, or university up to age twenty three.  Click here for a full definition of 'dependent child') Dependent child benefits are calculated as sixty percent of the deceased member’s monthly benefit, and are divided equally between all dependent children of the deceased.  

The temporary allowances payable under any of the LT (life and temporary) benefit plans do not apply to survivor's benefits.

When there is neither a surviving spouse, nor dependent children, no monthly survivor benefit is payable.  If, however, the deceased member made contributions to the LAGERS system, and there is no surviving spouse or dependent children, any of the member's remaining contributions plus interest would be refunded to his or her named beneficiary or estate.

Click here to print a Survivor's Benefit Information Sheet