5705 - Member's options.
§ 5705. Member's options. (a) General rule.--Any special vestee who has attained superannuation age, any vestee having five or more eligibility points, any member with Class G, Class H, Class I, Class J, Class K, Class L, Class M or Class N service having five or more eligibility points or any other eligible member upon termination of State service who has not withdrawn his total accumulated deductions as provided in section 5701 (relating to return of total accumulated deductions) may apply for and elect to receive either a maximum single life annuity, as calculated in accordance with the provisions of section 5702 (relating to maximum single life annuity), or a reduced annuity certified by the actuary to be actuarially equivalent to the maximum single life annuity and in accordance with one of the following options; except that no member shall elect an annuity payable to one or more survivor annuitants other than his spouse or alternate payee of such a magnitude that the present value of the annuity payable to him for life plus any lump sum payment he may have elected to receive is less than 50% of the present value of his maximum single life annuity: (1) Option 1.--A life annuity to the member with a guaranteed total payment equal to the present value of the maximum single life annuity on the effective date of retirement with the provision that, if, at his death, he has received less than such present value, the unpaid balance shall be payable to his beneficiary. (2) Option 2.--A joint and survivor annuity payable during the lifetime of the member with the full amount of such annuity payable thereafter to his survivor annuitant, if living at his death. (3) Option 3.--A joint and fifty percent (50%) survivor annuity payable during the lifetime of the member with one- half of such annuity payable thereafter to his survivor annuitant, if living at his death. (4) Option 4.--Some other benefit which shall be certified by the actuary to be actuarially equivalent to the maximum single life annuity, subject to the following restrictions: (i) any annuity shall be payable without reduction during the lifetime of the member; (ii) the sum of all annuities payable to the designated survivor annuitants shall not be greater than one and one-half times the annuity payable to the member; and (iii) a portion of the benefit may be payable as a lump sum, except that such lump sum payment shall not exceed an amount equal to the total accumulated deductions standing to the credit of the member. The balance of the present value of the maximum single life annuity adjusted in accordance with section 5702(b) shall be paid in the form of an annuity with a guaranteed total payment, a single life annuity, or a joint and survivor annuity or any combination thereof but subject to the restrictions of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) under this option. (b) Present value of joint coverage annuity.--In calculating an annuity payable to a member of the joint coverage group, the present value of such adjusted annuity shall be determined by taking into account prospectively the reduction applicable upon the attainment of the age at which full social security benefits are payable. (Oct. 7, 1975, P.L.348, No.101, eff. imd.; June 13, 1985, P.L.40, No.19, eff. imd.; Apr. 29, 1994, P.L.159, No.29, eff. Jan. 1, 1995; June 25, 1997, P.L.369, No.41, eff. imd.; June 22, 1999, P.L.75, No.12, eff. imd.; May 17, 2001, P.L.26, No.9, eff. July 1, 2001) 2001 Amendment. Act 9 amended subsec. (a). See section 37 of Act 9 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to applicability of amendment to State Employees' Retirement System members. 1999 Amendment. See section 27 of Act 12 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to eligibility for superannuation benefits. 1997 Amendment. See section 6 of Act 41 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to limitation of special vestee status. Cross References. Section 5705 is referred to in sections 5307, 5702, 5706, 5709, 5902, 5905, 5905.1, 5907 of this title.