(1) Should service of a member of the miscellaneous personnel be discontinued except by death or retirement, he or she shall be paid six months after the day of discontinuance such part of his or her accumulated contributions as he or she shall demand. Six months after the date of such discontinuance, unless on leave of absence regularly granted, or unless he or she has exercised the option hereinafter provided, his or her rights to all benefits as a member shall cease, without notice, and his or her accumulated contributions shall be returned to him or her in any event or held for his or her account if for any reason the return of the same is prevented. Should service of a member of the uniformed personnel be discontinued except by death or retirement, he or she shall be paid six months after the day of discontinuance such part of his or her accumulated contributions as he or she shall demand, and six months after the date of such discontinuance, unless on leave of absence regularly granted, his or her rights to all benefits as a member shall cease, without notice, and his or her accumulated contributions shall be returned to him or her in any event, or held for his or her account if for any reason the same is prevented: PROVIDED, That the board may in its discretion, grant the privilege of withdrawal in the amounts above specified at any time following such discontinuance. Any member whose service is discontinued except by death or retirement, and who has five or more years of creditable service when such discontinuance occurs, may, at his or her option, leave his or her accumulated contributions in the fund and thereby be entitled to receive a deferred retirement allowance commencing at retirement age sixty for miscellaneous personnel and at age fifty-five for uniformed personnel, such retirement allowance to be computed in the same manner provided in subsection (1) of RCW 41.44.150: PROVIDED, That this option may be revoked at any time prior to commencement of annuity payments by filing a written notice of such intention with the board together with a written application for a refund of such accumulated contributions. The board may establish rules and regulations to govern withdrawal and redeposit of contributions.
(2) Should a former member, within five years after discontinuance of service, return to service in the same city in which he or she was employed he or she may restore to the fund in such manner as may be agreed upon by such person and the board, his or her withdrawn normal accumulated contributions as they were at the time of his or her separation from service and upon completion of such redeposit all his or her rights and privileges existing at the time of discontinuance of service shall be restored and his or her obligations as a member shall begin again. The rate of contribution of such returning member shall be the same as it was at the time he or she separated from service.
(3) Upon the death of any person who has not been retired, pursuant to the provisions hereof, there shall be paid to his or her estate, or to such persons having an insurable interest in his or her life as he or she shall have nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the board, his or her accumulated contributions less any payments therefrom already made to him or her. Such payment may be made in one lump sum or may be paid in installments over a period of not to exceed five years, as may be designated by the member or his or her beneficiary, with such rate of interest as may be determined by the board.
(4) In lieu of the death benefit otherwise payable under subsection (3) of this section, there shall be paid a total allowance equal to one-fourth average final compensation per month to the surviving spouse of a member with at least twenty years service as such, at the time of death and who has not been retired and who, by reason of membership in the system, is covered by the Old Age and Survivors Insurance provisions of the Federal Social Security Act, but not at the time of death qualified to receive the benefits thereof. Said allowance shall become payable upon the death of said member or upon the date the surviving spouse becomes ineligible for any benefit payment from the Federal OASI, if later, and shall cease upon death or remarriage, or upon the date the surviving spouse would become entitled, upon application therefor; to any insurance benefit from the Federal OASI system, whichever event shall first occur: PROVIDED, That said benefit shall cease upon the beneficiary becoming employed by any member city of said system: PROVIDED FURTHER, That this allowance shall consist of:
(a) An amount which shall be the actuarial equivalent of the normal contributions at the time specified for retirement;
(b) An amount provided by the contributions of the city, equal to the annuity purchased by the accumulated normal contributions of the member;
(c) Such additional amount, provided by the contributions of the city, as will make the total allowance equal to one-fourth average final compensation per month;
(d) An annuity purchased by the accumulated additional contributions, if any, in addition to the minimum guaranteed.
(5) In lieu of the death benefit otherwise payable under subsection (3) of this section, the surviving spouse of a member who dies after having attained the minimum requirements for his or her service retirement as required by RCW 41.44.140 may elect to receive the allowance which would have been paid to such surviving spouse had the member been retired on the date of his or her death and had he or she elected to receive the lesser retirement allowances provided for in option C of RCW 41.44.220.
(6) If a former member shall, within one year from date of discontinuance of service, be employed by another city participating in this retirement system he or she shall have the privilege of redepositing and the matching contributions deposited by the city or cities in which he or she was formerly employed shall again be held for the benefit of such member. If such redepositing member possessed a prior service certificate the city employing him or her at time of retirement shall accept the liability evidenced by such certificate.
Reinstatement of a prior service certificate shall be effective only upon a showing that normal contributions are on deposit in the retirement fund, to the credit of the member, covering all current service.
[ 2012 c 117 § 72; 1967 ex.s. c 28 § 5; 1965 ex.s. c 99 § 8; 1961 c 227 § 9; 1951 c 275 § 14; 1947 c 71 § 19; Rem. Supp. 1947 § 9592-148.]
NOTES:
Purpose—Severability—1967 ex.s. c 28: See notes following RCW 41.44.030.