Sec. 27.
(1) Except as provided in section 24(4) and subject to subsection (3), if a member continues as a member of the retirement system on or after the date he or she acquires 10 years of service credit and suffers a nonduty related death leaving a surviving spouse before the effective date of the member's retirement, while a member of the retirement system, the surviving spouse is entitled to receive a retirement allowance equal to 2.4% of the member's final average compensation times the number of years, including any fraction of a year, of service credited to the member under this act or former 1935 PA 251, or both, but not to exceed 25 years, as if the member had retired effective the day preceding the date of death and nominated the spouse as beneficiary. If there is not a surviving spouse, or on the spouse's death, the retirement allowance must be paid to the children under the age of 18 years of the member, share and share alike. On the spouse's death, if there are not eligible children, there must be paid to the deceased member's estate any residual accumulated contributions and interest made by him or her into the reserve for employee contributions. A retirement allowance is not payable under this section if a retirement allowance is payable under any other section of this act.
(2) Payment of the retirement allowance must begin the first day of the calendar month next following the month in which the member died.
(3) The retirement allowance payable under this section to a member who first becomes a member on or after June 10, 2012 must be offset by the actuarially determined value of the employer-funded portion plus the associated investment growth of any employer contributions made under section 15a and forfeits the contributions and earnings on the contributions.
(4) A member, former member, or beneficiary of a deceased member, which member first becomes a member on or after June 10, 2012 and who is eligible for a retirement allowance under this section, is eligible for health insurance coverage under section 42 in all respects and under the same terms as would be a member who first becomes a member before June 10, 2012. A member who is eligible for health insurance coverage under section 42 as described in this subsection is not vested in any employer contributions under section 42a(1).
History: 1986, Act 182, Eff. Oct. 1, 1986 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 674, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2018