Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblywoman BETTYLOU DECROCE
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Provides options to PERS member who elects deferred retirement to designate retirement allowance to survivor after retiree's death; removes 30 days advance notice.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning deferred retirement under PERS and amending P.L.1954, c.84.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 38 of P.L.1954, c.84 (C.43:15A-38) is amended to read as follows:
38. Should a member of the Public Employees' Retirement System, after having completed 10 years of service, be separated voluntarily or involuntarily from the service, before reaching service retirement age, and not by removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency, such person may elect to receive:
(a) The payments provided for in section 41b. of this act, if he so qualifies under said section; or
(b) A deferred retirement allowance, beginning at the retirement age, which shall be made up of an annuity derived from the accumulated deductions standing to the credit of the individual member's account in the annuity savings fund at the time of his severance from the service together with regular interest, and a pension which when added to the annuity will produce a total retirement allowance of 1/64 of final compensation for each year of service credited as Class A service and 1/55 of final compensation for each year of service credited as Class B service, or for a person who becomes a member of the retirement system on or after the effective date of P.L.2010, c.1 1/60 of final compensation for each year of service credited as Class B service, calculated in accordance with section 48 of this act, with optional privileges provided for in section 50 of this act if he exercises such optional privilege [at least 30 days] before [his attainment of the normal retirement age] the effective date of his retirement; provided, that such election is communicated by such member to the retirement system in writing stating at what time subsequent to the execution and filing thereof he desires to be retired; and provided further, that such member, as referred to in this subsection may later elect: (1) to receive the payments provided for in section 41b. of this act, if he had qualified under that section at the time of leaving service, except that in order to avail himself of the optional privileges pursuant to section 50, he must exercise such optional privilege [at least 30 days] before the effective date of his retirement; or (2) to withdraw his accumulated deductions with interest as provided in section 41a. If such member shall die before attaining service retirement age then his accumulated deductions, plus regular interest, shall be paid in accordance with section 41c.; or if such member shall die after attaining service retirement age and has not withdrawn his accumulated deductions, an amount equal to 3/16 of the compensation received by the member in the last year of creditable service shall be paid to such person, if living, as he shall have nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the retirement system; otherwise to the executor or administrator of the member's estate.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.1, s.11)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill amends existing law to provide that a PERS member who elects deferred retirement must exercise an optional privilege in regard to retirement benefits prior to the effective date of retirement instead of at least 30 days before normal retirement age. In general, theses optional privileges allow a retiree to accept a reduced benefit in order to continue payment of a retirement allowance to a survivor after the retiree’s death.