Death
in Service - Active Members
PERS and TPAF
When an active member dies, but not
as a direct result of regular or assigned duties, his or her named
beneficiaries are entitled to the payment of the return of accumulated
deductions, plus the active group life insurance benefit. The
group life insurance benefit
amount depends on whether the member was covered by Noncontributory
Group Life Insurance, Contributory Group Life Insurance, or both
(PERS or TPAF).
For employer information
about delayed enrollments
and back
Contributory Group Life Insurance premiums, click
here.
PFRS and SPRS
When an active member dies, but not
as a direct result of regular or assigned duties, his or her named
beneficiaries are entitled to the payment of the active group
life insurance benefit. PFRS and SPRS group
life insurance benefits consist of Noncontributory Group Life
Insurance ONLY, depending on the membership status at the time
of death.
In addition, the member's surviving spouse1, civil union partner2, or eligible same-sex domestic partner3 will
receive a pension of 50% of the member's Final Compensation. If
there is no surviving spouse1, civil union partner2, or eligible same-sex domestic partner3, a
pension is paid to (a) dependent child(ren), in the amount of:
20% of Final Compensation to one child, 35% of Final Compensation
to two children, or 50% of Final Compensation to three or more
children. If there is no spouse1, civil union partner2, or eligible same-sex domestic partner3,
or no dependent child(ren), a pension is paid to parents receiving
at least half of their support from the member, in the amount
of 25% of Final Compensation if there is one parent, or 40% of
Final Compensation if there are two parents.
If there is no surviving spouse1, civil union partner2, eligible same-sex
domestic partner3, child(ren), or parent(s), the member’s
contributions are paid to his or her named beneficiary. In the
event that a specific beneficiary has not been named, the funds
will be paid to the member's estate.
1A surviving spouse is a person of the opposite sex to whom you were married on the date of your death and who has not remarried or entered into a new civil union. A photocopy of the Marriage Certificate is required for verification.
2A surviving civil union partner is a person of the same sex with whom the member had entered into a civil union and who has not entered into a new civil union or remarried. A photocopy of the New Jersey Civil Union Certificate or a valid certification from another jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex civil unions is required for verification.
3This is an eligible same-sex domestic partner who has not entered into a new civil union or remarried. An eligible same-sex domestic partner is defined under Chapter 246, P.L. 2003, the Domestic Partnership Act, as the domestic partner of any State employee, State retiree, or an eligible employee or retiree of a local public entity if the local governing body adopts a resolution to provide Chapter 246 pension benefits. A photocopy of the New Jersey Certificate of Domestic Partnership dated prior to February 19, 2007, or a valid certification from another jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex domestic partners, is required for verification.
(In order for a same-sex domestic
partner to receive death benefits under the Domestic Partnership
Act, the member must have entered into a domestic partnership
with the same-sex domestic partner, and received a New Jersey
Certificate of Domestic Partnership through application to a local
registrar.)
The Domestic Partnership Act applies
to any State employee or State retiree who has obtained a New
Jersey Certificate of Domestic Partnership (or a valid certification
from another jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex domestic partners,
civil unions, or similar same-sex relationships). A State employee
includes employees of the executive, judicial, and legislative
branches paid through Centralized Payroll, employees of Rutgers
University, UMDNJ, NJIT, and the State colleges and universities,
and employees of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the
NJ Building Authority, the State Library, the Waterfront Commission
of NY Harbor, and the Commerce and Economic Growth Commission.
A State retiree is any retiree from one of the above mentioned
employers. The Domestic Partnership
Act also applies to eligible employees and retirees of local public
entities only if the governing body adopts the benefit by resolution
or ordinance (see Adoption by Local Public Entities, below). The
local public employee or retiree must also obtain a New Jersey
Certificate of Domestic Partnership from the State of New Jersey
(or a valid certification from another jurisdiction that recognizes
same-sex domestic partners, civil unions, or similar same-sex
relationships). For more information, please see Fact
Sheet #71, Benefits under the Domestic Partnership Act.
JRS
When an active member dies, but not
as a direct result of regular or assigned duties, his or her named
beneficiaries are entitled to the payment of the active group
life insurance benefit. The
Group Life Insurance Benefit
amount depends on whether the member was covered by Noncontributory
Group Life Insurance, Contributory Group Life Insurance*, or both
(JRS).
*All active judges of the Judicial
Retirement System (JRS) who work full-time on a regular basis
are now eligible to participate in optional Contributory
Group Life Insurance. This option became effective on May
1, 2001.
In addition, the member's surviving spouse1, civil union partner2, or eligible same-sex domestic partner3 will
receive a pension of 25% of the member's Final Salary. Upon the
death of an active member, the member's eligible surviving spouse, civil union partner,
or same-sex domestic partner receives a statutory pension benefit
equal to 25 percent of the member's Final Salary, plus
10 percent of Final Salary to one dependent child; or 15 percent
of Final Salary divided evenly between two or more dependent children.
If there is no surviving spouse, civil union partner,
or same-sex domestic partner, or the member's spouse, civil union partner, or same-sex
domestic partner dies or remarries or enters into a civil union with a new civil union partner, the following
benefit is payable to the member's eligible children: 15 percent
of Final Salary to one dependent child; or 20 percent of Final
Salary divided evenly between two dependent children; or 30 percent
of Final Salary to be divided evenly among three or more dependent
children.
If there is no surviving spouse, civil union partner, eligible same-sex
domestic partner or dependent child(ren), a pension is paid to
the member's eligible parent(s) as follows: 20 percent of Final
Salary to one dependent parent, or 30 percent of Final Salary
divided evenly between two dependent parents.
If there is no surviving spouse, civil union partner, eligible same-sex
domestic partner, child(ren), or parent(s), the member’s
contributions are paid to his or her named beneficiary. In the
event a specific beneficiary is not named, the funds will be paid
to the member's estate.
Employer
Responsibilities Include:
Completion
of the Certification
of Service and Final Salary -- Death Claim (sometimes
referred to as a "P-29") which is also an acceptable
form of notification of a death.
You must provide the most recent
salary and pension contribution information for the period prior
to the date of death of the member. This is required in order
to avoid the delay of waiting for the Quarterly Report of Contributions
before processing the claim.
Also indicated on this form is the
employment status of the member at the time of death. This includes
the last day of active service, if the member resigned or was
on leave of absence without pay, etc.
The completed certification should
be returned to the Division of Pensions and Benefits within three
days of receipt (faxes are acceptable to initiate a claim, but
the original must be forwarded to the Division immediately).
Important!
You MUST complete Section #7:
"Was member on an official leave of absence with or without
pay?" If you indicate that a member was on an approved
leave of absence without pay, you must give the date the leave
was granted, the reason for the leave and supporting documentation.
The following documents should accompany
the Certification of Service and Final Salary -- Death Claim
if the deceased member was on leave at the time of death:
- Board minutes/administrative approval
of a leave of absence, or;
- Any written documentation approving
a leave; the document must indicate whether the member was on
a leave without pay. This document must also include the start
date and end date of the approved leave and the reason for leave.
**** Failure to
complete this portion will result in a delay in the processing
of the death claim. ****
Death in Service - Accidental Death
If an active member dies as a direct
result of an accident while in the performance of regular or assigned
duties and the death is NOT a result of willful negligence, then "Accidental
Death" benefits may be awarded to the member's beneficiary(ies) by the Board of Trustees of
the appropriate retirement system.
Accidental Death benefits
include the payment of group life insurance benefits (Noncontributory, and Contributory, if in effect) plus a pension benefit to the surviving spouse, civil union partner,
or eligible same-sex domestic partner, in the amount of:
- 50 percent
of the member's Final Salary for PERS and TPAF members;
- 70 percent
for PFRS and SPRS members; OR
- 25 percent for JRS members.
PERS, TPAF and JRS: This pension benefit will cease if the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner of the deceased PERS, TPAF,
and JRS member subsequently remarries or enters into a
new civil union after the member's date of death.
PFRS and SPRS: Under Chapter 181, P.L.
2003, this is a lifetime benefit for the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner of the deceased PFRS and SPRS member; it will continue
regardless of whether the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or same-sex domestic partner of the PFRS
and SPRS member subsequently remarries or enters into a civil union after the member's date of death.
Please consult the "Recent Legislation" of the Division's Web site for additional information about Chapter 181, P.L. 2003, (which took effect on September 12,
2003).
For further details concerning benefits
if there is no surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner, refer to the appropriate member
handbook (PERS,
TPAF, PFRS,
SPRS, JRS;
for PERS special groups, additional information can be found in
the specific member handbook addenda: PERS
Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) Addendum; PERS
Legislative Retirement System Addendum; PERS
Prosecutors Part Addendum; PERS
Workers' Compensation Judges Addendum).
All requests for Accidental Death
benefits should be referred to the appropriate Secretary of the
Board of Trustees. The notification should be provided in writing by submitting
the Employer Certification
- Accidental Death on Duty form or by letter to:
- Wendy Jamison - (PFRS, SPRS)
- Kathy Coates - (PERS)
- Mary Ellen Rathbun (TPAF)
The Board Secretary will request
the following information from the employer:
The Board Secretary will request
the following information from the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner:
- Application
for Accidental Death Benefits
- For Police and Firemen's Retirement
System members ONLY: Affidavit of Dependency
- Death Certificate
- Marriage Certificate from a surviving spouse, OR New Jersey Civil Union Certificate from a surviving civil union partner, or a valid certification from another jurisdiction that recognizes civil unions; OR New
Jersey Certificate of Domestic Partnership, or a valid certification from another jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex
domestic partnerships;
- Income Tax Return for the last
year before the member's date of death or date of accident.
Important - The Report of Death
must be filed with the Division within 60 days of the event. The
Board of Trustees may waive the time limit for a reasonable period
but under no circumstances should the application be filed beyond
five years from the date of death.
Death
in the Course of Volunteer Service (VESP Benefit)
Chapter 168, P.L. 1957 authorizes
municipalities to pay pensions to widows/widowers and to minor
children of local volunteer personnel who die in the course of
volunteer service. Chapter 134, P.L. 2002 revises this statute
by broadening the eligible volunteer personnel to include emergency
medical technicians, expanding the survivors who are eligible
for the survivor benefit, and increasing the annual pension payable. Chapter 134 is retroactive to January 1, 2000.
Eligible Volunteer Personnel
Volunteer personnel who are now eligible
for this benefit include:
- Firefighters
- First Aid Workers
- Rescue Squad Workers
- Emergency Medical Technicians
Eligible Survivors
The survivors eligible to receive
the pension include surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner; children if the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner subsequently remarries or enters into a civil union partnership; and parents if the volunteer has no surviving spouse, civil union partner, eligible same-sex domestic partner, or children.
Survivor's Pension
The amount of the annual pension
paid is set at $15,000 per year for the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner of the volunteer,
as long as the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner does not subsequently remarry or enter a civil union partnership (increased from
$5,000).
If there is no surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner or the
surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner has subsequently remarried or entered into a civil union partnership, an annual pension of $10,000 will
be paid to minor children;
If there is no surviving spouse, civil union partner or eligible same-sex domestic partner;
or minor children, an annual pension of $5,000 will be paid to
the parents of the volunteer.
Additional Information
When a volunteer emergency service
worker (see list above) dies while responding to, preparing for,
or returning from an emergency while under orders from a competent
authority, the municipality may determine that the surviving spouse, civil union partner, or eligible same-sex domestic partner; or children; or parent of a volunteer is eligible for a survivor's
pension. After the municipality makes this determination, its
muncipal clerk files a certified copy of the resolution with the
State Treasurer within 10 days of adoption.
The State will then pay the pension
for volunteers whose death occurs on or after January 1, 2000.
The pension will begin in the calendar year after the year of
death or the year following the law's enactment, whichever is
later.
For additional information about
the VESP Benefit, please see:
Death
after Retirement
In the event of a retired member's
death, a family member or survivor of the deceased should contact
the Division of Pensions and Benefits immediately to report the
retiree's death. The Division of Pensions and Benefits requires
the following information: the member's name, current address,
Social Security number, date of death, and the prospective beneficiary's
name, address, and telephone number (or the name, address, and
telephone number of the person handling the deceased's affairs).
Contacting the Division by telephone, by calling (609) 292-7524
and selecting the option to "Report a Death", or by
e-mail at: pensions.nj@treas.state.nj.us,
are both acceptable means of reporting a member's death to the
Division of Pensions and Benefits.
Upon
notification the claim will be opened and the last designated beneficiary
on file will be notified.
Not all retirees are covered by group
life insurance after retirement. The law states that a member
enrolled after July 1, 1971, must have at least 10 years of credited
service at retirement to be covered by this benefit, with the
exception of those retired on a disability retirement. Group life
insurance does not apply to retirees of the Consolidated Police
and Firemen's Pension Fund (CPFPF) or the Prison Officers' Pension
Fund (POPF).