Survivorship Benefits

When you retired from KCERA, you elected a retirement option that will provide certain survivorship benefits to your designated beneficiary(ies) after your death. Depending on the retirement option chosen, these benefits may be paid to your beneficiary(ies) as a lump-sum payment or as monthly payments. Below is a summary of the survivorship benefits payable under each option.

Retirement Options	Monthly Benefit	Lump-Sum Benefit
Unmodified Option	60% continuance of monthly benefit to eligible spouse or registered domestic partner.* If there is no eligible spouse/partner, minor children can receive 60% continuance until age 18 (up to age 22 if enrolled full-time in accredited college).	Refund of remaining member contributions if there is no eligible spouse/partner or children.
Option 1	No continuance. Beneficiary can be anyone, even an estate.	Refund of remaining member contributions.
Option 2	100% continuance of monthly benefit. Beneficiary can be anyone with insurable interest in retiree’s life	No refund
Option 3	50% continuance of monthly benefit. Beneficiary can be anyone with insurable interest in retiree’s life.	No refund
Option 4	Up to 100% continuance of monthly benefit. Beneficiaries can be anyone with insurable interest in retiree’s life.	No refund

 

Death of SCD Retiree

Survivorship benefits for retirees who were granted a service-connected disability (SCD) retirement are slightly different. After the death of an SCD retiree, the eligible spouse or partner will receive a 100% continuance of the retiree’s monthly benefit throughout their lifetime. If there is no eligible spouse or partner, the benefit will be paid to surviving children until age 18 (up to age 22 if enrolled full-time in an accredited college). The taxation rules that applied to the retiree will also apply to the beneficiary.

$5,000 Death Benefit

A $5,000 death benefit is payable to the retiree’s designated beneficiary. The “death benefit beneficiary” does not have to be the same person designated to receive the benefits listed in the chart above. You can name a different “death benefit beneficiary” by completing Section 3 of the Beneficiary Designation Form.

(* An “eligible” spouse or registered domestic partner is someone to whom the retiree was married or registered for at least one year prior to retiring or two years prior to death. If the latter, the spouse or partner also must be age 55 or older when the retiree dies.)