476.539. Surviving spouse of judge may become a special consultant, when, duties--compensation to be judgment and claim exempt, also unassignable.
Surviving spouse of judge may become a special consultant, when,duties--compensation to be judgment and claim exempt, alsounassignable.
476.539. 1. Upon application to the board of trustees of theMissouri state employees' retirement system, a surviving spouse of a judgewho died while serving as a judge and who had served at least twenty-fiveyears as a judge shall be made, constituted, appointed, and employed by theboard as a special consultant on the problems of surviving spouses andother state matters for the remainder of the surviving spouse's life if thesurviving spouse was married to the deceased judge continuously fortwenty-five years immediately preceding the judge's death and also on theday of the judge's death and if the surviving spouse is not eligible toreceive benefits under section 476.452 or 476.535. Upon request of theboard the consultant shall give opinions or be available to give opinionsin writing or orally in response to such requests. As compensation theconsultant shall receive an annual amount equal to one-half of thecompensation of a special commissioner or referee as provided in section476.450.
2. Upon application to the board of trustees of the Missouri stateemployees' retirement system, a surviving spouse of a judge, as defined insection 476.515, who dies on or after January 1, 1989, and who has at leasteleven years of creditable service as a judge shall be made, constituted,appointed, and employed by the board as a special consultant on theproblems of surviving spouses and other state matters for the remainder ofthe surviving spouse's life if the surviving spouse was married to thedeceased judge continuously for at least ten years immediately precedingthe judge's death and also on the day of the judge's death and if thesurviving spouse is not eligible to receive benefits under section 476.452or 476.535. Upon request of the board the consultant shall give opinionsor be available to give opinions in writing or orally in response to suchrequests. As compensation the consultant shall receive, beginning on thedate the deceased judge would have been eligible to receive an annuity, anannual amount equal to one-half of the compensation the judge would receiveas if the judge was eligible to retire with a full annuity on the date ofthe judge's death.
3. Upon application to the board of trustees of the Missouri stateemployees' retirement system, a surviving spouse, under subsection 1 ofsection 476.515, of a judge who was approved for long-term disabilitybenefits and dies on or after January 1, 1994, shall be made, constituted,appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the problemsof surviving spouses and other state matters for the remainder of thesurviving spouse's life. Upon request of the board the consultant shallgive opinions or be available to give opinions in writing or orally inresponse to such request. As compensation the consultant's benefiteffective on the date the judge died shall be increased to an annual amountequal to fifty percent of the amount of retirement compensation provided insection 476.530 regardless of the period of the person's judicial service.
4. The compensation provided for in this section shall not be subjectto execution, garnishment, attachment, writ of sequestration, or any otherprocess or claim whatsoever, and shall be unassignable, anything to thecontrary notwithstanding.
(L. 1987 H.B. 713, A.L. 1989 H.B. 674, A.L. 1995 H.B. 416, et al., A.L. 1997 H.B. 356)