FIRST REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Reported from the Committee on Retirement March 10, 2005 with recommendation that House Committee Substitute for House Bill No. 443 Do Pass by Consent. Referred to the Committee on Rules pursuant to Rule 25(26)(f).
STEPHEN S. DAVIS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal sections 169.010, 169.020, 169.040, 169.056, 169.070, 169.073, 169.075, 169.140, 169.555, 169.560, 169.561, 169.569, 169.600, 169.610, 169.620, 169.630, 169.650, 169.655, 169.670, 169.673, and 169.712, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof twenty-two new sections relating to public school retirement, with a penalty provision.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 169.010, 169.020, 169.040, 169.056, 169.070, 169.073, 169.075, 169.140, 169.555, 169.560, 169.561, 169.569, 169.600, 169.610, 169.620, 169.630, 169.650, 169.655, 169.670, 169.673, and 169.712, RSMo, are repealed and twenty-two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 169.010, 169.020, 169.040, 169.056, 169.070, 169.073, 169.075, 169.076, 169.140, 169.560, 169.561, 169.569, 169.600, 169.610, 169.620, 169.630, 169.650, 169.655, 169.670, 169.673, 169.676, and 169.712, to read as follows:
169.010. The following words and phrases, as used in sections 169.010 to 169.130, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Accumulated contributions" shall mean the sum of the annual contributions a member has made to the retirement system through deductions from the member's salary, plus interest compounded annually on each year's contributions from the end of the school year during which such contributions were made;
(2) "Board" shall mean the board of trustees provided for in sections 169.010 to 169.130;
(3) "Creditable service" shall mean prior service or membership service, or the sum of the two, if the member has both to the member's credit;
(4) "District" shall mean public school, as herein defined;
(5) "Employ" shall have a meaning agreeable with that herein given to employer and employee;
(6) "Employee" shall be synonymous with the term "teacher" as the same is herein defined;
(7) "Employer" shall mean the district that makes payment directly to the teacher or employee for such person's services;
(8) "Final average salary" shall mean the total compensation payable to a member for any three consecutive years of creditable service, as elected by the member, divided by thirty-six; with the proviso that any annual compensation entering into the total compensation shall not exceed twelve thousand six hundred dollars for any year prior to July 1, 1967; and with the proviso that the board may set a maximum percentage of increase in annual compensation from one year to the next in the final average salary period;
(9) "Member" shall mean a person who holds membership in the retirement system;
(10) "Membership service" shall mean service rendered by a member of the retirement system after the system becomes operative, and may include a period of service in the armed forces of the United States as provided for in section 169.055;
(11) "Prior service" shall mean service rendered by a member of the retirement system before the system becomes operative, and may include service rendered by a member of the armed forces if the member was a teacher at the time the member was inducted, for which credit has been approved by the board of trustees;
(12) "Public school" shall mean any school conducted within the state under the authority and supervision of a duly elected district or city or town board of directors or board of education and the board of regents of the several state teachers' colleges, or state colleges, board of trustees of the public school retirement system of Missouri, and also the state of Missouri and each county thereof, to the extent that the state and the several counties are employers of teachers as herein designated;
(13) "Retirement allowance" shall mean a monthly payment for life during retirement;
(14) "Retirement system" or "system" shall mean the public school retirement system of Missouri created by sections 169.010 to 169.130;
(15) "Salary", "salary rate" or "compensation" shall mean the regular remuneration, including any payments made pursuant to sections 168.500 to 168.515, RSMo, which is earned by a member as an employee of a district, but not including employer-paid fringe benefits except the value of employer-paid medical benefits (including dental and vision) for members, and not including employer-paid medical benefits (including dental and vision) for anyone other than the member, employer contributions to any deferred compensation plan, consideration for agreeing to [retire] terminate employment or other nonrecurring or unusual payments that are not a part of regular remuneration. The board by its rules may further define salary, salary rate and compensation in a manner consistent with this definition and with sections 169.010 to 169.141;
(16) "School year" shall mean the year from July first of one year to June thirtieth of next year, inclusive, which shall also be the fiscal year of the system;
(17) "Teacher" shall mean any person who shall be employed by any public school, on a full-time basis and who shall be duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers; any person employed in the state department of elementary and secondary education or by the state board of education on a full-time basis who shall be duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers and who did not become a member of the Missouri state employees' retirement system pursuant to section 104.342, RSMo; and persons employed by the board of trustees of the public school retirement system of Missouri on a full-time basis who shall be duly certified under the law governing the certification of teachers. The term "teacher" shall be synonymous with the term "employee" as defined in this section.
169.020. 1. For the purpose of providing retirement allowances and other benefits for public school teachers, there is hereby created and established a retirement system which shall be a body corporate, shall be under the management of a board of trustees herein described, and shall be known as "The Public School Retirement System of Missouri". Such system shall, by and in such name, sue and be sued, transact all of its business, invest all of its funds, and hold all of its cash, securities, and other property. The system so created shall include all school districts in this state, except those in cities that had populations of four hundred thousand or more according to the latest United States decennial census, and such others as are or hereafter may be included in a similar system or in similar systems established by law and made operative; provided, that teachers in school districts of more than four hundred thousand inhabitants who are or may become members of a local retirement system may become members of this system with the same legal benefits as accrue to present members of such state system on the terms and under the conditions provided for in section 169.021. The system hereby established shall begin operations on the first day of July next following the date upon which sections 169.010 to 169.130 shall take effect.
2. The general administration and the responsibility for the proper operation of the retirement system and for making effective the provisions of sections 169.010 to 169.141 are hereby vested in a board of trustees of seven persons as follows: four persons to be elected as trustees by the members and retired members of the public school retirement system created by sections 169.010 to 169.141 and the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system created by sections 169.600 to 169.715; and three members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. The first member appointed by the governor shall replace the commissioner of education for a term beginning August 28, 1998. The other two members shall be appointed by the governor at the time each member's, who was appointed by the state board of education, term expires.
3. Trustees appointed and elected shall be chosen for terms of four years from the first day of July next following their appointment or election, except that one of the elected trustees shall be a member of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system and shall be initially elected for a term of three years from July 1, 1991. The initial term of one other elected trustee shall commence on July 1, 1992.
4. Trustees appointed by the governor shall be residents of school districts included in the retirement system, but not employees of such districts or a state employee or a state elected official. At least one trustee so appointed shall be a retired member of the public school retirement system or the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system. Three elected trustees shall be members of the public school retirement system and one elected trustee shall be a member of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system.
5. The elections of the trustees shall be arranged for, managed and conducted by the board of trustees of the retirement system.
6. If a vacancy occurs in the office of trustee, the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the office was previously filled.
7. Trustees of the retirement system shall serve without compensation but they shall be reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred through service on the board of trustees.
8. Each trustee shall be commissioned by the governor, and before entering upon the duties of the trustee's office, shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution of the United States, and of the state of Missouri and to demean himself or herself faithfully in the trustee's office. Such oath as subscribed to shall be filed in the office of secretary of state of this state.
9. Each trustee shall be entitled to one vote in the board of trustees. Four votes shall be necessary for a decision by the trustees at any meeting of the board of trustees. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, a meeting need not be called or held to make any decision on a matter before the board. Each member must be sent by the executive director a copy of the matter to be decided with full information from the files of the board of trustees. The unanimous decision of four trustees may decide the issue by signing a document declaring their decision and sending such written instrument to the executive director of the board, provided that no other member of the board of trustees shall send a dissenting decision to the executive director of the board within fifteen days after such document and information was mailed to the trustee. If any member is not in agreement with four members the matter is to be passed on at a regular board meeting or a special meeting called for the purpose.
10. The board of trustees shall elect one of their number as chairman, and shall employ a full-time executive director, not one of their number, who shall be the executive officer of the board. Other employees of the board shall be chosen only upon the recommendation of the executive director.
11. The board of trustees shall employ an actuary who shall be its technical advisor on matters regarding the operation of the retirement system, and shall perform such duties as are essential in connection therewith, including the recommendation for adoption by the board of mortality and other necessary tables, and the recommendation of the level rate of contributions required for operation of the system.
12. As soon as practicable after the establishment of the retirement system, and annually thereafter, the actuary shall make a valuation of the system's assets and liabilities on the basis of such tables as have been adopted.
13. At least once in the three-year period following the establishment of the retirement system, and in each five-year period thereafter, the board of trustees shall cause to be made an actuarial investigation into the mortality, service, and compensation experience of the members and beneficiaries of the system, and shall make any changes in the mortality, service, and other tables then in use which the results of the investigation show to be necessary.
14. Subject to the limitations of sections 169.010 to 169.141 and 169.600 to 169.715, the board of trustees shall formulate and adopt rules and regulations for the government of its own proceedings and for the administration of the retirement system.
15. The board of trustees shall determine and decide all questions of doubt as to what constitutes employment within the meaning of sections 169.010 to 169.141 and 169.600 to 169.715, the amount of benefits to be paid to members, retired members, beneficiaries and survivors and the amount of contributions to be paid by employer and employee. The executive director shall notify by [registered] certified mail both employer and member, retired member, beneficiary or survivor interested in such determination. Any member, retired member, beneficiary or survivor, district or employer adversely affected by such determination, at any time within thirty days after being notified of such determination, may appeal to the circuit court of Cole County. Such appeal shall be tried and determined anew in the circuit court and such court shall hear and consider any and all competent testimony relative to the issues in the case, which may be offered by either party thereto. The circuit court shall determine the rights of the parties under sections 169.010 to 169.141 and 169.600 to 169.715 using the same standard provided in section 536.150, RSMo, and the judgment or order of such circuit court shall be binding upon the parties and the board shall carry out such judgment or order unless an appeal is taken from such decision of the circuit court. Appeals may be had from the circuit court by the employer, member, retired member, beneficiary, survivor or the board, in the manner provided by the civil code.
16. The board of trustees shall keep a record of all its proceedings, which shall be open to public inspection. It shall prepare annually a comprehensive annual financial report, the financial section of which shall be prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards and shall include the independent auditor's opinion letter. The report shall also include information on the actuarial status and the investments of the system. The reports shall be preserved by the executive director and made available for public inspection.
17. The board of trustees shall provide for the maintenance of an individual account with each member, setting forth such data as may be necessary for a ready determination of the member's earnings, contributions, and interest accumulations. It shall also collect and keep in convenient form such data as shall be necessary for the preparation of the required mortality and service tables and for the compilation of such other information as shall be required for the valuation of the system's assets and liabilities. All individually identifiable information pertaining to members, retirees, beneficiaries and survivors shall be confidential.
18. The board of trustees shall meet regularly at least twice each year, with the dates of such meetings to be designated in the rules and regulations adopted by the board. Such other meetings as are deemed necessary may be called by the chairman of the board or by any four members acting jointly.
19. The headquarters of the retirement system shall be in Jefferson City, where suitable office space, utilities and other services and equipment necessary for the operation of the system shall be provided by the board of trustees and all costs shall be paid from funds of the system. All suits in which the board of trustees, the board's members or employees or the retirement system established by sections 169.010 to 169.141 or 169.600 to 169.715 are parties shall be brought in Cole County.
20. The board may appoint an attorney or firm of attorneys to be the legal advisor to the board and to represent the board in legal proceedings, however, if the board does not make such an appointment, the attorney general shall be the legal advisor of the board of trustees, and shall represent the board in all legal proceedings.
21. The board of trustees shall arrange for adequate surety bonds covering the executive director. When approved by the board, such bonds shall be deposited in the office of the secretary of state of this state.
22. The board shall arrange for annual audits of the records and accounts of the system by a firm of certified public accountants, the state auditor shall review the audit of the records and accounts of the system at least once every three years and shall report the results to the board of trustees and the governor.
23. The board by its rules may establish an interest charge to be paid by the employer on any payments of contributions which are delinquent. The rate charged shall not exceed the actuarially assumed rate of return on invested funds of the pertinent system.
169.040. 1. All funds arising from the operation of sections 169.010 to 169.141 shall belong to the retirement system herein created and shall be controlled by the board of trustees of that system which board shall provide for the collection of such funds, shall see that they are safely preserved, and shall permit their disbursement only for the purposes herein authorized. Such funds and all other funds received by the retirement system are declared and shall be deemed to be the moneys and funds of the retirement system and not revenue collected or moneys received by the state and shall not be commingled with state funds.
2. The board shall invest all funds under its control which are in excess of a safe operating balance. The funds shall be invested only in those investments which a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with these matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims, as provided in section 105.688, RSMo. The board of trustees may delegate to duly appointed investment counselors authority to act in place of the board in the investment and reinvestment of all or part of the moneys of the system, and may also delegate to such counselors the authority to act in place of the board in the holding, purchasing, selling, assigning, transferring or disposing of any or all of the securities and investments in which such moneys shall have been invested, as well as the proceeds of such investments and such moneys. Such investment counselors shall be registered as investment advisors with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. In exercising or delegating its investment powers and authority, members of the board shall exercise ordinary business care and prudence under the facts and circumstances prevailing at the time of the action or decision. No member of the board shall be liable for any action taken or omitted with respect to the exercise of, or delegation of, these powers and authority if such member shall have discharged the duties of his or her position in good faith and with that degree of diligence, care and skill which a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with these matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims.
3. No investment transaction authorized by the board shall be handled by any company or firm in which a member of the board has an interest, nor shall any member of the board profit directly or indirectly from any such investment. All investments shall be made for the account of the retirement system, and any securities or other properties obtained by the board of trustees may be held by a custodian in the name of the retirement system, or in the name of a nominee in order to facilitate the expeditious transfer of such securities or other property. Such securities or other properties which are not available in registered form may be held in bearer form or in book entry form. The retirement system is further authorized to deposit, or have deposited for its account, eligible securities in a central depository system or clearing corporation or in a federal reserve bank under a book entry system as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code, sections 400.8-102 and 400.8-109, RSMo. When such eligible securities of the retirement system are so deposited with a central depository system they may be merged and held in the name of the nominee of such securities depository and title to such securities may be transferred by bookkeeping entry on the books of such securities depository or federal reserve bank without physical delivery of the certificates or documents representing such securities.
4. With appropriate safeguards against loss by the system in any contingency, the board may designate a bank or trust company to serve as a depository of system funds and intermediary in the investment of those funds and payment of system obligations.
5. All retirement allowances or other periodic payments paid by the board shall be paid to recipients of such payments by electronic funds transfer, unless another method has been determined by the board to be appropriate. Each recipient of retirement allowances or other periodic payments shall designate a financial institution or other authorized payment agent and provide the board information necessary for the recipient to receive electronic funds transfer payments through the institution or agent designated. This subsection shall apply to retirement allowances and other periodic payments first paid on or after January 1, 1998, and shall apply to all retirement allowances and other periodic payments on and after January 1, 1999.
169.056. 1. Members who have accrued at least one year of membership service credit for employment in a position covered by this retirement system and who have covered employment with this retirement system following the service for which credit is being purchased may purchase membership service credit under the circumstances, terms and conditions provided in this section. With respect to each such purchase authorized by this section the following provisions apply:
(1) The purchase shall be effected by the member paying to the retirement system the amount the member would have contributed and the amount the employer would have contributed had such member been an employee for the number of years for which the member is electing to purchase credit, and had the member's compensation during such period been the highest annual salary rate on record with the retirement system on the date of election to purchase credit. For purposes of this section, "annual salary rate" means the annual salary rate for full-time service for the position of employment. The contribution rate used in determining the amount to be paid shall be the contribution rate in effect on the date of election to purchase credit. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, for all elections to purchase credit received by the retirement system on or after January 1, 2006, the member shall receive credit based on the amount paid by the member for such credit and received by the retirement system by the close of business on June thirtieth of each year. In lieu of charging the member interest on such purchase of credit, the amount to be paid by the member for any remaining credit the member has elected to purchase but has not paid for by June thirtieth of each year shall be recalculated on the following July first using the contribution rate in effect on that July first and the highest salary of record for the member as of that July first. For all elections to purchase credit received by the retirement system prior to January 1, 2006, the retirement system shall determine the cost of such purchase using the calculation method in effect for elections to purchase credit received by the retirement system on or after January 1, 2006, provided that the member shall have a one-time, irrevocable option to continue to have the cost of such purchase be determined using the calculation method in effect at the time of such election to purchase such credit. To be effective, such option must be elected by the member on a form approved by the retirement system and such form must be received by the retirement system by the close of business on June 30, 2006. The retirement system reserves the right to limit the amount of credit purchased by the member in any year if the amounts paid by the member in that year would exceed any applicable contribution limits set forth in Section 415 of Title 26 of the United States Code;
(2) Membership service credit purchased pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be membership service in Missouri for purposes of subsection 7 of section 169.070;
(3) An election to purchase membership service credit pursuant to this section and payment for the purchase shall be completed prior to termination of membership with the retirement system with interest on the unpaid balance;
(4) Members may purchase membership service credit in increments of one-tenth of a year, and multiple elections to purchase may be made;
(5) Additional terms and conditions applicable to purchase made pursuant to this section including, but not limited to, minimum payments, payment schedules and provisions applicable when a member fails to complete payment may be set by rules of the board.
2. Membership service credit shall not be allowed pursuant to this section or sections 169.570 and 169.577 which exceeds in length the member's membership service credit for employment in a position covered by this system, and in no event may the member receive membership service credit with both this system and another public retirement system for the same service.
3. A member who was employed for at least twenty hours per week on a regular basis by a public school district, public junior college, public community college, public college, or public university, either inside or outside of this state, may elect to purchase equivalent membership service credit.
4. A member who has served in the armed forces of the United States of America and who was discharged or separated from the armed forces by other than a dishonorable discharge may elect to purchase membership service for the period of active duty service in the armed forces.
5. Any member granted unpaid maternity or paternity leave for a period, from a position covered by the retirement system, who returned to employment in such a position, may elect to purchase membership service credit for the period of leave.
6. Any member who is or was certified as a vocational-technical teacher on the basis of having a college degree or who was required to have a period of work experience of at least two years in the area of the subject being taught in order to qualify for such certification may, upon written application to the board, purchase equivalent membership service credit for such work experience which shall not exceed the two years necessary for certification if the work experience was in the area that the member taught or is teaching and was completed in two years.
7. Any member who had membership service credit with the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri governed by sections 169.600 to 169.715 but which membership service credit was forfeited by withdrawal or refund may elect to purchase credit for such service. The [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri shall transfer to this system an amount equal to the employer contributions for the forfeited service being purchased, plus interest, which shall be applied to reduce the amount the member would otherwise pay for the purchase, provided that the amount transferred shall not exceed one-half of the purchase cost.
8. A member may elect to purchase membership service credit for service rendered while on leave from an employer, as defined in section 169.010, for a not-for-profit corporation or agency whose primary purpose is support of education or education research, if the member was employed by that organization to serve twenty or more hours per week on a regular basis.
9. A member who was employed by a private school, private junior college, private community college, private college, or private university, either inside or outside of this state, for at least twenty hours per week on a regular basis, may elect to purchase equivalent membership service credit for such service rendered.
10. A member who was employed in nonfederal public employment for at least twenty hours a week on a regular basis shall be permitted to purchase equivalent creditable service in the retirement system for such employment subject to provisions of this section.
11. A member who, while eighteen years of age or older, was employed in a position covered by Social Security for at least twenty hours a week on a regular basis shall be permitted to purchase equivalent creditable service in the retirement system for such employment subject to provisions of this section.
169.070. 1. The retirement allowance of a member whose age at retirement is sixty years or more and whose creditable service is five years or more, or whose sum of age and creditable service equals eighty years or more, or who has attained age fifty-five and whose creditable service is twenty-five years or more or whose creditable service is thirty years or more regardless of age, may be the sum of the following items, not to exceed one hundred percent of the member's final average salary:
(1) Two and five-tenths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service;
(2) Six-tenths of the amount payable for a year of membership service for each year of prior service not exceeding thirty years.
In lieu of the retirement allowance otherwise provided in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, a member may elect to receive a retirement allowance of:
(3) Between July 1, 1998, and July 1, 2008, two and four-tenths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-nine years or more but less than thirty years, and the member has not attained age fifty-five;
(4) Between July 1, 1998, and July 1, 2008, two and thirty-five-hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-eight years or more but less than twenty-nine years, and the member has not attained age fifty-five;
(5) Between July 1, 1998, and July 1, 2008, two and three-tenths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-seven years or more but less than twenty-eight years, and the member has not attained age fifty-five;
(6) Between July 1, 1998, and July 1, 2008, two and twenty-five-hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-six years or more but less than twenty-seven years, and the member has not attained age fifty-five;
(7) Between July 1, 1998, and July 1, 2008, two and two-tenths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-five years or more but less than twenty-six years, and the member has not attained age fifty-five;
(8) Between July 1, 2001, and [June 30,] July 1, 2008, two and fifty-five hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is thirty-one years or more regardless of age. 2. In lieu of the retirement allowance provided in subsection 1 of this section, a member whose age is sixty years or more on September 28, 1975, may elect to have the member's retirement allowance calculated as a sum of the following items:
(1) Sixty cents plus one and five-tenths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service;
(2) Six-tenths of the amount payable for a year of membership service for each year of prior service not exceeding thirty years;
(3) Three-fourths of one percent of the sum of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection for each month of attained age in excess of sixty years but not in excess of age sixty-five.
3. (1) In lieu of the retirement allowance provided either in subsection 1 or 2 of this section, collectively called "option 1", a member whose creditable service is twenty-five years or more or who has attained the age of fifty-five with five or more years of creditable service may elect in the member's application for retirement to receive the actuarial equivalent of the member's retirement allowance in reduced monthly payments for life during retirement with the provision that:
Option 2. Upon the member's death the reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of and paid to such person as has an insurable interest in the life of the member as the member shall have nominated in the member's election of the option, and provided further that if the person so nominated dies before the retired member, the retirement allowance will be increased to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the retired member elected option 1;
OR
Option 3. Upon the death of the member three-fourths of the reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of and paid to such person as has an insurable interest in the life of the member and as the member shall have nominated in an election of the option, and provided further that if the person so nominated dies before the retired member, the retirement allowance will be increased to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the member elected option 1;
OR
Option 4. Upon the death of the member one-half of the reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of, and paid to, such person as has an insurable interest in the life of the member and as the member shall have nominated in an election of the option, and provided further that if the person so nominated dies before the retired member, the retirement allowance shall be increased to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the member elected option 1;
OR
Option 5. Upon the death of the member prior to the member having received one hundred twenty monthly payments of the member's reduced allowance, the remainder of the one hundred twenty monthly payments of the reduced allowance shall be paid to such beneficiary as the member shall have nominated in the member's election of the option or in a subsequent nomination. If there is no beneficiary so nominated who survives the member for the remainder of the one hundred twenty monthly payments, the [reserve for] total of the remainder of such one hundred twenty monthly payments shall be paid to the estate of the last person to receive a monthly allowance. If the total of the one hundred twenty payments paid to the retired individual and the beneficiary of the retired individual is less than the total of the member's accumulated contributions, the difference shall be paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum;
OR
Option 6. Upon the death of the member prior to the member having received sixty monthly payments of the member's reduced allowance, the remainder of the sixty monthly payments of the reduced allowance shall be paid to such beneficiary as the member shall have nominated in the member's election of the option or in a subsequent nomination. If there is no beneficiary so nominated who survives the member for the remainder of the sixty monthly payments, the [reserve] total of the remainder of such sixty monthly payments shall be paid to the estate of the last person to receive a monthly allowance. If the total of the sixty payments paid to the retired individual and the beneficiary of the retired individual is less than the total of the member's accumulated contributions, the difference shall be paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum.
(2) The election of an option may be made only in the application for retirement and such application must be filed prior to the date on which the retirement of the member is to be effective. If either the member or the person nominated to receive the survivorship payments dies before the effective date of retirement, the option shall not be effective, provided that:
(a) If the member or a person retired on disability retirement dies after acquiring twenty-five or more years of creditable service or after attaining the age of fifty-five years and acquiring five or more years of creditable service and before retirement, except retirement with disability benefits, and the person named by the member as the member's [primary] beneficiary has an insurable interest in the life of the deceased member, the designated beneficiary may elect to receive either survivorship benefits under option 2 or a payment of the accumulated contributions of the member. If survivorship benefits under option 2 are elected and the member at the time of death would have been eligible to receive an actuarial equivalent of the member's retirement allowance, the designated beneficiary may further elect to defer the option 2 payments until the date the member would have been eligible to receive the retirement allowance provided in subsection 1 or 2 of this section;
(b) If the member or a person retired on disability retirement dies before attaining age fifty-five but after acquiring five but fewer than twenty-five years of creditable service, and the person named as the member's [primary] beneficiary has an insurable interest in the life of the deceased member, the designated beneficiary may elect to receive either a payment of the member's accumulated contributions, or survivorship benefits under option 2 to begin on the date the member would first have been eligible to receive an actuarial equivalent of the member's retirement allowance, or to begin on the date the member would first have been eligible to receive the retirement allowance provided in subsection 1 or 2 of this section.
4. If the total of the retirement or disability allowance paid to an individual before the death of the individual is less than the accumulated contributions at the time of retirement, the difference shall be paid to the beneficiary of the individual, or to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) estate of the individual[, if there be no beneficiary] in that order of precedence. If an optional benefit as provided in option 2, 3 or 4 in subsection 3 of this section had been elected, and the beneficiary dies after receiving the optional benefit, and if the total retirement allowance paid to the retired individual and the beneficiary of the retired individual is less than the total of the contributions, the difference shall be paid to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) estate of the beneficiary, in that order of precedence, unless the retired individual designates a different recipient with the board at or after retirement.
5. If a member dies before receiving a retirement allowance, the member's accumulated contributions at the time of the death of the member shall be paid to the beneficiary of the member or, if there is no beneficiary, to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) to the estate of the member[, if there be no beneficiary] in that order of precedence; except that, no such payment shall be made if the beneficiary elects option 2 in subsection 3 of this section, unless the beneficiary dies before having received benefits pursuant to that subsection equal to the accumulated contributions of the member, in which case the amount of accumulated contributions in excess of the total benefits paid pursuant to that subsection shall be paid to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) estate of the beneficiary, in that order of precedence.
6. If a member ceases to be a public school employee as herein defined and certifies to the board of trustees that such cessation is permanent, or if the membership of the person is otherwise terminated, the member shall be paid the member's accumulated contributions with interest.
7. Notwithstanding any provisions of sections 169.010 to 169.141 to the contrary, if a member ceases to be a public school employee after acquiring five or more years of membership service in Missouri, the member may at the option of the member leave the member's contributions with the retirement system and claim a retirement allowance any time after reaching the minimum age for voluntary retirement. When the member's claim is presented to the board, the member shall be granted an allowance as provided in sections 169.010 to 169.141 on the basis of the member's age, years of service, and the provisions of the law in effect at the time the member requests the member's retirement to become effective.
8. The retirement allowance of a member retired because of disability shall be nine-tenths of the allowance to which the member's creditable service would entitle the member if the member's age were sixty, or fifty percent of one-twelfth of the annual salary rate used in determining the member's contributions during the last school year for which the member received a year of creditable service immediately prior to the member's disability, whichever is greater, except that no such allowance shall exceed the retirement allowance to which the member would have been entitled upon retirement at age sixty if the member had continued to teach from the date of disability until age sixty at the same salary rate.
9. Notwithstanding any provisions of sections 169.010 to 169.141 to the contrary, from October 13, 1961, the contribution rate pursuant to sections 169.010 to 169.141 shall be multiplied by the factor of two-thirds for any member of the system for whom federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance tax is paid from state or local tax funds on account of the member's employment entitling the person to membership in the system. The monetary benefits for a member who elected not to exercise an option to pay into the system a retroactive contribution of four percent on that part of the member's annual salary rate which was in excess of four thousand eight hundred dollars but not in excess of eight thousand four hundred dollars for each year of employment in a position covered by this system between July 1, 1957, and July 1, 1961, as provided in subsection 10 of this section as it appears in RSMo, 1969, shall be the sum of:
(1) For years of service prior to July 1, 1946, six-tenths of the full amount payable for years of membership service;
(2) For years of membership service after July 1, 1946, in which the full contribution rate was paid, full benefits under the formula in effect at the time of the member's retirement;
(3) For years of membership service after July 1, 1957, and prior to July 1, 1961, the benefits provided in this section as it appears in RSMo, 1959; except that if the member has at least thirty years of creditable service at retirement the member shall receive the benefit payable pursuant to that section as though the member's age were sixty-five at retirement;
(4) For years of membership service after July 1, 1961, in which the two-thirds contribution rate was paid, two-thirds of the benefits under the formula in effect at the time of the member's retirement.
10. The monetary benefits for each other member for whom federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance tax is or was paid at any time from state or local funds on account of the member's employment entitling the member to membership in the system shall be the sum of:
(1) For years of service prior to July 1, 1946, six-tenths of the full amount payable for years of membership service;
(2) For years of membership service after July 1, 1946, in which the full contribution rate was paid, full benefits under the formula in effect at the time of the member's retirement;
(3) For years of membership service after July 1, 1957, in which the two-thirds contribution rate was paid, two-thirds of the benefits under the formula in effect at the time of the member's retirement.
11. Any retired member of the system who was retired prior to September 1, 1972, or beneficiary receiving payments under option 1 or option 2 of subsection 3 of this section, as such option existed prior to September 1, 1972, will be eligible to receive an increase in the retirement allowance of the member of two percent for each year, or major fraction of more than one-half of a year, which the retired member has been retired prior to July 1, 1975. This increased amount shall be payable commencing with January, 1976, and shall thereafter be referred to as the member's retirement allowance. The increase provided for in this subsection shall not affect the retired member's eligibility for compensation provided for in section 169.580 or 169.585, nor shall the amount being paid pursuant to these sections be reduced because of any increases provided for in this section.
12. If the board of trustees determines that the cost of living, as measured by generally accepted standards, increases two percent or more in the preceding fiscal year, the board shall increase the retirement allowances which the retired members or beneficiaries are receiving by two percent of the amount being received by the retired member or the beneficiary at the time the annual increase is granted by the board with the provision that the increases provided for in this subsection shall not become effective until the fourth January first following the member's retirement or January 1, 1977, whichever later occurs, or in the case of any member retiring on or after July 1, 2000, the increase provided for in this subsection shall not become effective until the third January first following the member's retirement, or in the case of any member retiring on or after July 1, 2001, the increase provided for in this subsection shall not become effective until the second January first following the member's retirement. Commencing with January 1, 1992, if the board of trustees determines that the cost of living has increased five percent or more in the preceding fiscal year, the board shall increase the retirement allowances by five percent. The total of the increases granted to a retired member or the beneficiary after December 31, 1976, may not exceed eighty percent of the retirement allowance established at retirement or as previously adjusted by other subsections. If the cost of living increases less than five percent, the board of trustees may determine the percentage of increase to be made in retirement allowances, but at no time can the increase exceed five percent per year. If the cost of living decreases in a fiscal year, there will be no increase in allowances for retired members on the following January first.
13. The board of trustees may reduce the amounts which have been granted as increases to a member pursuant to subsection 12 of this section if the cost of living, as determined by the board and as measured by generally accepted standards, is less than the cost of living was at the time of the first increase granted to the member; except that, the reductions shall not exceed the amount of increases which have been made to the member's allowance after December 31, 1976.
14. Any application for retirement shall include a sworn statement by the member certifying that the spouse of the member at the time the application was completed was aware of the application and the plan of retirement elected in the application.
15. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person retired prior to September 28, 1983, who is receiving a reduced retirement allowance under option 1 or option 2 of subsection 3 of this section, as such option existed prior to September 28, 1983, and whose beneficiary nominated to receive continued retirement allowance payments under the elected option dies or has died, shall upon application to the board of trustees have his or her retirement allowance increased to the amount he or she would have been receiving had the option not been elected, actuarially adjusted to recognize any excessive benefits which would have been paid to him or her up to the time of application.
16. Benefits paid pursuant to the provisions of the public school retirement system of Missouri shall not exceed the limitations of Section 415 of Title 26 of the United States Code except as provided pursuant to this subsection. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the board of trustees may establish a benefit plan pursuant to Section 415(m) of Title 26 of the United States Code. Such plan shall be created solely for the purpose described in Section 415(m)(3)(A) of Title 26 of the United States Code. The board of trustees may promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection and to create and administer such benefit plan.
17. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any person retired before, on, or after May 26, 1994, shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging, and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such requests. As compensation for such duties the person shall receive an amount based on the person's years of service so that the total amount received pursuant to sections 169.010 to 169.141 shall be at least the minimum amounts specified in subdivisions (1) to (4) of this subsection. In determining the minimum amount to be received, the amounts in subdivisions (3) and (4) of this subsection shall be adjusted in accordance with the actuarial adjustment, if any, that was applied to the person's retirement allowance. In determining the minimum amount to be received, beginning September 1, 1996, the amounts in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection shall be adjusted in accordance with the actuarial adjustment, if any, that was applied to the person's retirement allowance due to election of an optional form of retirement having a continued monthly payment after the person's death. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no person retired before, on, or after May 26, 1994, and no beneficiary of such a person, shall receive a retirement benefit pursuant to sections 169.010 to 169.141 based on the person's years of service less than the following amounts:
(1) Thirty or more years of service, one thousand two hundred dollars;
(2) At least twenty-five years but less than thirty years, one thousand dollars;
(3) At least twenty years but less than twenty-five years, eight hundred dollars;
(4) At least fifteen years but less than twenty years, six hundred dollars.
18. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, any person retired prior to May 26, 1994, and any designated beneficiary of such a retired member who was deceased prior to July 1, 1999, shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement or aging and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such requests. Beginning September 1, 1996, as compensation for such service, the member shall have added, pursuant to this subsection, to the member's monthly annuity as provided by this section a dollar amount equal to the lesser of sixty dollars or the product of two dollars multiplied by the member's number of years of creditable service. Beginning September 1, 1999, the designated beneficiary of the deceased member shall as compensation for such service have added, pursuant to this subsection, to the monthly annuity as provided by this section a dollar amount equal to the lesser of sixty dollars or the product of two dollars multiplied by the member's number of years of creditable service. The total compensation provided by this section including the compensation provided by this subsection shall be used in calculating any future cost-of-living adjustments provided by subsection 12 of this section.
19. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 1998, and the designated beneficiary of a deceased retired member shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging, and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such requests. As compensation for such duties the person shall receive a payment equivalent to eight and seven-tenths percent of the previous month's benefit, which shall be added to the member's or beneficiary's monthly annuity and which shall not be subject to the provisions of subsections 12 and 13 of this section for the purposes of the limit on the total amount of increases which may be received.
20. Any member who has retired shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging, and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such request. As compensation for such duties, the [person] beneficiary of the retired member, or, if there is no beneficiary, the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) estate of the retired member, in that order of precedence, shall receive as a part of compensation for these duties a death benefit of five thousand dollars.
21. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 1999, and the designated beneficiary of a retired member who was deceased prior to July 1, 1999, shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging, and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such requests. As compensation for such duties, the person shall have added, pursuant to this subsection, to the monthly annuity as provided by this section a dollar amount equal to five dollars times the member's number of years of creditable service.
22. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 2000, and the designated beneficiary of a deceased retired member shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging, and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such requests. As compensation for such duties, the person shall receive a payment equivalent to three and five-tenths percent of the previous month's benefit, which shall be added to the member or beneficiary's monthly annuity and which shall not be subject to the provisions of subsections 12 and 13 of this section for the purposes of the limit on the total amount of increases which may be received.
23. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 2001, and the designated beneficiary of a deceased retired member shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging, and upon request shall give written or oral opinions to the board in response to such requests. As compensation for such duties, the person shall receive a dollar amount equal to three dollars times the member's number of years of creditable service, which shall be added to the member's or beneficiary's monthly annuity and which shall not be subject to the provisions of subsections 12 and 13 of this section for the purposes of the limit on the total amount of increases which may be received.
169.073. 1. Any member eligible for a retirement allowance pursuant to section 169.070 and who has not previously received a retirement allowance, including an allowance under disability retirement under section 169.070, and whose sum of age and creditable service equals eighty-six years or more or whose creditable service is thirty-three years or more or whose age is sixty-three years or more and who has eight years or more of creditable service may elect a distribution under the partial lump sum option plan provided in this section if the member notifies the retirement system on the application for retirement.
2. A member entitled to make an election pursuant to this section may elect to receive a lump sum distribution in addition to the member's monthly retirement allowance pursuant to section 169.070, as reduced pursuant to this section. Such member may elect the amount of the member's lump sum distribution from one, but not more than one, of the following options:
(1) A lump sum amount equal to twelve times the retirement allowance the member would receive if no election were made pursuant to this section and the member had chosen option 1 pursuant to section 169.070;
(2) A lump sum amount equal to twenty-four times the retirement allowance the member would receive if no election were made pursuant to this section and the member had chosen option 1 pursuant to section 169.070; or
(3) A lump sum amount equal to thirty-six times the retirement allowance the member would receive if no election were made pursuant to this section and the member had chosen option 1 pursuant to section 169.070.
3. When a member makes an election to receive a lump sum distribution pursuant to this section, the retirement allowance that the member would have received in the absence of the election shall be reduced on an actuarially equivalent basis to reflect the payment of the lump sum distribution and the reduced retirement allowance shall be the member's retirement allowance thereafter for all purposes in relation to retirement allowance amounts pursuant to section 169.070. A retirement allowance increased due to the death of a person nominated by the member to receive benefits pursuant to the provisions of option 2, 3, or 4 of subsection 3 of section 169.070 shall be increased pursuant to such provisions to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the retired member elected option 1 as actuarially reduced due to the lump sum distribution made pursuant to this section. Any payment of accumulated contributions pursuant to the provisions of sections 169.010 to 169.141 shall be reduced by the amount of any lump sum distribution made pursuant to this section in addition to any other reductions required by sections 169.010 to 169.141.
4. If the member dies before receiving a lump sum distribution pursuant to this section, the lump sum distribution shall be paid in accordance with rules adopted by the board of trustees.
5. Benefits paid pursuant to this section, in addition to all other provisions of the public school retirement system of Missouri, shall not exceed the limitations of Section 415 of Title 26 of the United States Code except as provided in subsection 16 of section 169.070.
169.075. 1. Certain survivors specified in this section and meeting the requirements of this section may elect to forfeit any payments payable pursuant to subsection 3 or 5 of section 169.070 and to receive certain other benefits described in this section upon the death of a member prior to retirement, except retirement with disability benefits, whose period of creditable service in districts included in the retirement system is (1) five years or more, or (2) two years [or more] but less than five years and who dies (a) while teaching in a district included in the retirement system, or (b) as a result of an injury or sickness incurred while teaching in such a district and within one year of the commencement of such injury or sickness, or (c) while eligible for a disability retirement allowance hereunder.
2. Upon an election pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, a surviving spouse sixty years of age, or upon attainment of age sixty, or a surviving spouse who has been totally and permanently disabled for not less than five years immediately preceding the death of a member if designated as the sole beneficiary, and if married to the member at least three years, and if living with such member at the time of the member's death, shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to twenty percent of one-twelfth of the annual salary rate on which the member contributed for the member's last full year of creditable service as a teacher in a district included in the retirement system until death or recovery prior to age sixty from the disability which qualified the spouse for the benefit, whichever first occurs; provided that the monthly payment shall not be less than five hundred seventy-five dollars or more than eight hundred sixty dollars. A surviving spouse, who is eligible for benefits pursuant to this subsection and also pursuant to subsection 3 of this section may receive benefits only pursuant to subsection 3 of this section as long as the surviving spouse remains eligible pursuant to both subsections, but shall not be disqualified for the benefit provided in this subsection because the surviving spouse may have received payments pursuant to subsection 3 of this section. Beginning August 28, 2001, a surviving spouse who otherwise meets the requirements of this subsection but who remarried prior to August 28, 1995, shall be entitled, upon an election pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, to any remaining benefits that would otherwise have been received had the surviving spouse not remarried before the change in law permitting remarried surviving spouses to continue receiving benefits. Such surviving spouses may, upon application, become special consultants whose benefit will be to receive the remaining benefits described in this subsection. No benefit shall be paid to such surviving spouse unless he or she files a valid application for such benefit with the retirement system postmarked on or before June 30, 2002. In no event shall any retroactive benefits be paid.
3. Upon an election pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, a surviving spouse, if designated as the sole beneficiary, who has in the surviving spouse's care a dependent unmarried child, including a stepchild or adopted child, of the deceased member, under eighteen years of age, shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to twenty percent of one-twelfth of the annual salary rate on which the member contributed for the member's last full year of creditable service as a teacher in a district included in the retirement system until the surviving spouse's death, or the first date when no such dependent unmarried child under age eighteen, or age twenty-four if the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis, remains in the surviving spouse's care, whichever first occurs; provided that the monthly payment shall not be less than five hundred seventy-five dollars or more than eight hundred sixty dollars. In addition the surviving spouse shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to one-half this amount, provided that the monthly payment shall not be less than three hundred dollars, for each such dependent unmarried child under eighteen years of age, or age twenty-four if the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis, who remains in the surviving spouse's care. Further, in addition to the monthly payment to the surviving spouse as provided for in this subsection, each dependent unmarried child under the age of eighteen years of the deceased member not in the care of such surviving spouse shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to one-half of the surviving spouse's monthly payment which shall be paid to the child's primary custodial parent or legal guardian; provided that the payment because of an unmarried dependent child shall be made until the child attains age twenty-four if the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis; provided, however, that the total of all monthly payments to the surviving spouse, primary custodial parent or legal guardian, including payments for such dependent unmarried children, shall in no event exceed two thousand one hundred sixty dollars, the amount of the children's share to be allocated equally as to each dependent unmarried child eligible to receive payments pursuant to this subsection.
4. Upon an election pursuant to subsection 1 of this section if the designated beneficiary is a dependent unmarried child as defined in this section or automatically upon the death of a surviving spouse receiving benefits pursuant to subsection 3 of this section, each surviving dependent unmarried child, including a stepchild or adopted child, of the deceased member, under eighteen years of age, or such a child under age twenty-four if the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis, shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to sixteen and two-thirds percent of one-twelfth of the annual salary rate on which the member contributed for the member's last full year of creditable service as a teacher in a district included in the retirement system until death, marriage, adoption, or attainment of age eighteen or age twenty-four if enrolled in school on a full-time basis, whichever first occurs; provided that the monthly payment shall not be less than five hundred dollars or more than seven hundred twenty dollars, and provided further that any child of the deceased member who is disabled before attainment of age eighteen because of a physical or mental impairment which renders the child unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity and which disability continues after the child has attained age eighteen shall be entitled to a like monthly payment, until death, marriage, adoption, or recovery from the disability, whichever first occurs; provided, however, that the total of all monthly payments to the surviving dependent unmarried children shall in no event exceed two thousand one hundred sixty dollars.
5. In lieu of receiving any benefit or lump sum from the retirement system, the designated beneficiary may elect under subsection 1 of this section to direct that each surviving dependent unmarried child, including a stepchild or adopted child, of the deceased member, under eighteen years of age, or such a child under age twenty-four if the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis, shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to sixteen and two-thirds percent of one-twelfth of the annual salary rate on which the member contributed for the member's last full year of creditable service as a teacher in a district included in the retirement system until death, marriage, adoption, or attainment of age eighteen or age twenty-four if enrolled in school on a full-time basis, whichever first occurs; provided that the monthly payment shall not be less than five hundred dollars or more than seven hundred twenty dollars, and provided further that any child of the deceased member who is disabled before attainment of age eighteen because of a physical or mental impairment which renders the child unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity and which disability continues after the child has attained age eighteen shall be entitled to a like monthly payment, until death, marriage, adoption, or recovery from the disability, whichever first occurs; provided, however, that the total of all monthly payments to the surviving dependent unmarried children shall in no event exceed two thousand one hundred sixty dollars.
6. Upon an election pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, a surviving dependent parent of the deceased member, over sixty-five years of age or upon attainment of age sixty-five if designated as the sole beneficiary, provided such dependent parent was receiving at least one-half of the parent's support from such member at the time of the member's death and provided the parent files proof of such support within two years of such death, shall be entitled to a monthly payment equal to sixteen and two-thirds percent of one-twelfth of the annual salary rate on which the member contributed for the member's last full year as a teacher in a district included in the retirement system until death; provided that the monthly payment shall not be less than five hundred dollars or more than seven hundred twenty dollars. If the other parent also is a dependent, as defined in this section, the same amount shall be paid to each until death.
[6.] 7. All else in this section to the contrary notwithstanding, a survivor may not be eligible to benefit pursuant to this section because of more than one terminated membership, and be it further provided that the board of trustees shall determine and decide all questions of doubt as to what constitutes dependency within the meaning of this section.
[7.] 8. The provisions added to subsection 3 of this section in 1991 are intended to clarify the scope and meaning of this section as originally enacted and shall be applied in all cases in which such an election has occurred or will occur.
[8.] 9. After July 1, 2000, all benefits payable pursuant to subsections 1 to 7 of this section shall be payable to eligible current and future survivor beneficiaries in accordance with this section.
[9.] 10. The system shall pay a monthly retirement allowance for the month in which a retired member, beneficiary or survivor receiving a retirement allowance or survivor benefit dies.
11. If the total of all payments made under this section is less than the total of the member's accumulated contributions, the difference shall be paid to the person making the election under subsection 1 of this section. If such person does not survive until all payments are made under this section, such difference shall be paid in accordance with section 169.076.
169.076. 1. If a member dies before service retirement and is not survived by a beneficiary under a valid beneficiary designation filed with the retirement system or all designated beneficiaries have disclaimed the right to receive benefits from the retirement system, the following individuals shall be deemed to be the member’s designated beneficiaries, in the following order of precedence, for the purpose of making an election and receiving benefits under paragraph (a) or (b) of subdivision (2) of subsection 3 of section 169.070 or section 169.075:
(1) Surviving spouse at the time of the member’s death;
(2) Surviving children eligible to receive benefits under section 169.075 at the time of the member’s death, share and share alike;
(3) Surviving children not eligible to receive benefits under section 169.075 at the time of the member’s death, share and share alike;
(4) Surviving dependent parents eligible for a benefit under section 169.075 at the time of the member’s death, share and share alike;
(5) Surviving parents, share and share alike;
(6) Estate.
2. The member’s most recent valid designation of a beneficiary received by the retirement system prior to the member’s death revokes all previous designations in their entirety. The member's marriage, divorce, withdrawal of accumulated contributions, or the birth of the member's child, or the member's adoption of a child, shall result in an automatic revocation of the member's previous designation in its entirety upon the retirement system receiving actual notice of such event before or after the member’s death and prior to any payments being made under the provisions of this chapter. This section applies to all beneficiary designations filed with the retirement system before or after the enactment of this section under which payments have not been made under this chapter. This section shall not apply to the member’s designation of a beneficiary to receive a monthly benefit upon the death of the member under subdivision (1) of subsection 3 of section 169.070.
169.140. Any person employed in a public junior college upon a full-time basis and who shall be duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers, or any person employed in said public junior college in a full-time teaching, supervisory or educational administrative position certified by the executive officer of the institution for such full-time duties shall be a member of the public school retirement system of Missouri; except that, if the employee is a member of the [nonteacher school] public education employees' retirement system at the time such employment would qualify him for membership under this section, he may elect to continue in that system if he makes the election to continue at the time he becomes eligible for membership in the public school retirement system.
169.560. Any person retired and currently receiving a retirement allowance pursuant to sections 169.010 to 169.141, other than for disability, may be employed in any capacity in a district included in the retirement system created by those sections on either a part-time or temporary-substitute basis not to exceed a total of five hundred fifty hours in any one school year, and through such employment may earn up to fifty percent of the annual compensation payable under the employing district's salary schedule for the position or positions filled by the retiree, given such person's level of experience and education, without a discontinuance of the person's retirement allowance. If the employing school district does not utilize a salary schedule, or if the position in question is not subject to the employing district's salary schedule, a retiree employed in accordance with the provisions of this section may earn up to fifty percent of the annual compensation paid to the person or persons who last held such position or positions. If the position or positions did not previously exist, the compensation limit shall be determined in accordance with rules duly adopted by the board of trustees of the retirement system; provided that, it shall not exceed fifty percent of the annual compensation payable for the position in the employing school district that is most comparable to the position filled by the retiree. In any case where a retiree fills more than one position during the school year, the fifty-percent limit on permitted earning shall be based solely on the annual compensation of the highest paid position occupied by the retiree for at least one-fifth of the total hours worked during the year. Such a person shall not contribute to the retirement system or to the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system established by sections 169.600 to 169.715 because of earnings during such period of employment. If such a person is employed in any capacity by such a district on a regular, full-time basis, the person shall not be eligible to receive the person's retirement allowance for any month during which the person is so employed and shall contribute to the retirement system.
169.561. Any person retired and currently receiving a retirement allowance from either the public school retirement system of Missouri or the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri, other than for disability, who elects to return to work in an employment capacity covered by either of the aforementioned retirement systems shall undertake such service under a new membership in the applicable system. The new membership for such a person shall have a vesting period of one year of creditable service, after which the person shall be eligible to retire and receive a second or subsequent retirement allowance for the service credit earned under the new membership in accordance with the law governing such matters. Contributions shall be made to the retirement system for any covered employment under the new membership at the same time and in the same manner as contributions are made for covered employment generally. Service credit shall be earned or may be acquired under the new membership in accordance with the law governing such matters. A second or subsequent membership or retirement allowance established or earned pursuant to this section shall be separate from and shall not be combined with any previous membership service credit or retirement allowance earned from the aforementioned retirement systems. Upon termination of covered employment under a second or subsequent membership, and in lieu of application for and receipt of a retirement allowance based on such service, the person may withdraw from the retirement system and receive a refund of the person's contributions during such membership in accordance with the law governing such matters; provided that, by so doing, the person shall forfeit any creditable service the person may have accrued under that membership. A person shall not receive a retirement allowance from the aforementioned retirement systems for any previous membership service while in covered employment under a new membership established pursuant to this section, nor shall a person receive such a retirement allowance in any month in which the person earns service credit under the new membership.
169.569. 1. In accordance with the recommendations made pursuant to section 169.566, the public school retirement system of Missouri, the public school retirement system of the Kansas City school district, the public school retirement system of the St. Louis City school district and the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri created pursuant to this chapter shall promulgate joint rules, which shall provide for the recognition of service toward retirement eligibility rendered by certified and noncertified personnel under any of the four systems. Such rules shall be limited to creditable service established with each system and shall in no event permit any transfer of creditable service or system assets.
2. Rules required pursuant to subsection 1 of this section shall be approved, and may be amended, by a majority of all of the trustees of each board of the four retirement systems. At least thirty days prior to the meeting of any board of one of the four retirement systems to vote on approving or amending such rules, a copy of the proposed rules or amendments shall be filed with the joint committee on public employee retirement.
3. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, RSMo, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536, RSMo, and, if applicable, section 536.028, RSMo. This section and chapter 536, RSMo, are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536, RSMo, to review, to delay the effective date or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2001, shall be invalid and void.
169.600. As used in sections 169.600 to 169.710, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following words and phrases mean:
(1) "Accumulated contributions", the sum of the annual contributions a member has made to the retirement system through deductions from the member's salary, plus interest compounded annually on each year's contributions from the end of the school year during which such contributions were made;
(2) "Average compensation", as used in subdivision (3) of subsection 1 of section 169.670, shall be the total compensation paid to a member for any ten consecutive years of creditable service, or for the entire period of creditable service if less than ten years, prior to July 1, 1973, divided by one hundred twenty or by the number of months in the member's period of creditable service if less than ten years; provided, that in determining the total compensation, any annual compensation entering into the total shall not be less than one thousand two hundred dollars and shall not exceed ten thousand dollars;
(3) "Board", the board of trustees provided for in section 169.020;
(4) "Creditable service", prior service or membership service or the sum of the two if the member has both to the member's credit;
(5) "Employee", any person regularly employed by a public school district, junior college district or by the board of trustees, as defined in sections 169.600 to 169.710, who devotes at least twenty hours per week to such employment in a position which is not covered by the public school retirement system of Missouri; provided, however, that no person shall be required to contribute to, or shall receive benefits from both the retirement system herein established and the public school retirement system of Missouri for the same services;
(6) "Employer", the district or other employer that makes payment directly to the employee for the employee's services;
(7) "Final average salary", the total compensation paid to a member for any three consecutive years of creditable service divided by thirty-six; provided, that in determining the total compensation, any annual compensation less than one thousand two hundred dollars shall be regarded as one thousand two hundred dollars and an annual compensation for services prior to July 1, 1973, in excess of ten thousand dollars shall be regarded as ten thousand dollars; and provided, that the board may set a maximum percentage of increase in annual compensation from one year to the next in the final average salary period;
(8) "Junior college district", any public junior college district organized and operated pursuant to the provisions of sections 178.770 to 178.890, RSMo, which enters into an agreement with the board of trustees of the retirement system to include its eligible employees in the system immediately upon the effective date of the agreement;
(9) "Member", a person who holds membership in the retirement system;
(10) "Membership service", service rendered by a member of the system after the system becomes operative;
(11) "Prior service", service rendered by a member of the retirement system before the system becomes operative and may include service as a teacher for which credit has not been claimed from the public school retirement system of Missouri;
(12) "Public school district" or "district", any duly constituted public school district under the authority and supervision of a duly elected district or city or town board of directors or board of education, except those school districts defined in sections 169.270 and 169.410;
(13) "Retirement allowance", a monthly payment for life, during retirement;
(14) "Retirement system" or "system", the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri created by sections 169.600 to 169.710;
(15) "Salary", "salary rate" or "compensation" shall mean the regular remuneration which is earned by a member as an employee of a district, but not including employer-paid fringe benefits except the value of employer-paid medical benefits (including dental and vision) for members, and not including employer-paid medical benefits (including dental and vision) for anyone other than the member, employer contributions to a deferred compensation plan, consideration for agreeing to [retire] terminate employment or other nonrecurring or unusual payments that are not a part of regular remuneration. The board by its rules may further define salary, salary rate and compensation in a manner consistent with this definition and with sections 169.600 to 169.715;
(16) "School year", the year from July first of one year to June thirtieth of the next year, inclusive, which shall also be the fiscal year of the system.
169.610. 1. There is hereby created and established a retirement system for nonteacher employees of all public school districts, as defined in sections 169.600 to 169.710, which shall be a body corporate and which shall be known as "The [Nonteacher School] Public Education Employee Retirement System of Missouri". The system shall, by and in its name, sue and be sued, transact all its business, invest all of its funds, and hold all its cash, securities and other property. The system hereby established shall begin operations on the first day of November, 1965.
2. The general administration of and the responsibility for the proper operation of this retirement system and for making effective the provisions of sections 169.600 to 169.710, is hereby vested in the board of trustees for the public school retirement system as established by section 169.020.
3. Said board shall keep all funds belonging to this system separate and apart from all other funds, but shall manage and administer this system in all other respects as prescribed by section 169.020.
169.620. 1. The funds required for the operation of the retirement system created by sections 169.600 to 169.715 shall come from contributions made in equal amounts by employees as herein defined and their employers, beginning November 1, 1965, and from such interest or income as may be derived from the investment of funds of the system. All contributions shall be transmitted to the board of trustees by employers in such manner and at such times as the board by rule shall require.
2. For each school year following the date on which the system becomes operative, each and every employer of one or more persons who are members of the system shall transmit to the board of trustees, in the manner and accompanied by such supporting data as the board shall prescribe, twice the amount that is deductible from the pay of such employee or employees during the school year. Failure or refusal to transmit such amount as required shall render the person or persons responsible therefor individually liable for twice the amount so withheld. Suits for the recovery of amounts for which individuals are thus rendered liable shall be instituted and prosecuted by the board of trustees in the name of the retirement system. In addition to such civil penalty, and not in lieu thereof, any person or persons made responsible for the remittance of contributions who shall willfully and knowingly fail or refuse to transmit such contributions or any part thereof to the board of trustees shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars and not more than two hundred dollars. Each day such person or persons shall so fail or refuse to transmit such contributions shall be deemed a separate offense. The board of trustees may request the employer to provide the information necessary to administer the system and to advise each member of such member's status.
3. The contributions of members of the retirement system shall be collected by their employers through appropriate deductions from paychecks. The total amount deducted from the paychecks of members during any school year shall equal such a percent of their salary rates as may be required by the contribution rate then in effect. For contribution purposes any annual salary rate less than one thousand two hundred dollars shall be regarded as one thousand two hundred dollars. Contributions transmitted to the retirement system before February 20, 1996, based on salary rates which either included or excluded employer-paid medical benefits for members, shall be deemed to have been in compliance with this section. The retirement system shall not refund or adjust contributions or adjust benefit determinations with respect to any period before February 20, 1996, solely because of the treatment of employer-paid medical benefits for members. Effective December 31, 1995, compensation in excess of the limitations set forth in Section 401(a)(17) of Title 26 of the United States Code shall be disregarded for purposes of determining contributions pursuant to this section and calculating benefits paid by the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri. The limitation on compensation for eligible employees shall not be less than the amount which was allowed to be taken into account under the system as in effect on July 1, 1993. For the purpose of this subsection, an "eligible employee" is an individual who was a member of the system before July 1, 1996.
4. The board of trustees shall fix and certify to the employers the level rate of contribution subject to the following:
(1) The level rate of contribution for a fiscal year shall not exceed the level rate of contribution for the prior fiscal year by more than one- quarter percent;
(2) The board shall fix and certify to the employers the rate of contribution for a fiscal year no later than six months prior to the date such rate is to be effective;
(3) The board shall fix and certify to the employers the rate of contribution for a fiscal year based on an actuarial valuation of the system as of a date not earlier than the last day of the second prior fiscal year. Such actuarial valuation of the system shall be performed using processes and actuarial assumptions that are in accordance with actuarial standards of practice in effect at the time the valuation is performed, as promulgated by the actuarial standards board or its successor; provided that such actuarial valuation shall be based on the entry age normal actuarial cost method and an asset valuation method based on the market value of system assets that may provide for smoothing of investment gains and losses, and further, that the level rate of contribution shall be the total of the normal cost and a rate which shall amortize the unfunded actuarial accrued liability over a period that shall not exceed thirty years from the date of the valuation, subject to the limitations of this subsection; and
(4) Not less than once every ten years the board shall have an actuary, other than the actuary performing the actuarial valuation pursuant to this section, review such actuarial valuation and perform an additional actuarial valuation of the system.
5. Regardless of the provisions of any law governing compensation and contracts, every employee shall be deemed to consent and agree to the deductions provided herein. Payment of salary or compensation less such deduction shall be a full and complete discharge of all salary or compensation claims and demands during the period covered by such payment, except as to the benefits provided pursuant to sections 169.600 to 169.715.
6. A person serving as an employee as defined in section 169.600, who became a member after November 1, 1965, and before July 1, 1974, and who was regularly employed to serve for twenty or more hours per week at some time during the period November 1, 1965, to July 1, 1974, may receive membership service credit for such service by paying into the system the amount, with interest at such rate as may be set by the board within the limits set by law for interest rates, the person would have contributed had the person been eligible for membership.
7. Notwithstanding any other provision of sections 169.600 to 169.715 to the contrary, no legislation shall be enacted after July 1, 2003, that increases benefits provided to members or retirees of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri above that which may be funded using a rate of contribution of five percent as determined using an actuarial valuation as provided in subsection 4 of this section; provided that, notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, legislation may be enacted after July 1, 2003, that provides for an extension of time within which a member may make an election pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection 1 of section 169.670.
169.630. 1. All funds arising from the operation of sections 169.600 to 169.715 shall belong to the retirement system created in sections 169.600 to 169.715 and shall be controlled by the board of trustees and that board shall provide for the collection of these funds, see that they are safely preserved, and shall permit their disbursement only for the purposes authorized in sections 169.600 to 169.715. These funds are declared and shall be deemed to be the moneys and funds of this retirement system and not general funds of the state and shall not be commingled with any state funds or other retirement funds. Solely for the purpose of investing the funds of the retirement system, the funds may be combined with the funds of the public school retirement system of Missouri, but the funds of each system shall be accounted for separately and for all other purposes shall be separate.
2. The board shall invest all funds under its control which are in excess of a safe operating balance. The investment shall be made only in securities authorized and pursuant to the same standards set for investment by section 169.040.
3. No investment transaction authorized by the board shall be handled by any company or firm in which a member of the board has an interest, nor shall any member of the board profit directly or indirectly from any such investment. All investments shall be made for the account of the retirement system, and any securities or other properties obtained by the board of trustees may be held by a custodian in the name of the retirement system, or in the name of a nominee in order to facilitate the expeditious transfer of such securities or other property. Such securities or other properties which are not available in registered form may be held in bearer form or in book entry form. The retirement system is further authorized to deposit, or have deposited for its account, eligible securities in a central depository system or clearing corporation or in a federal reserve bank under a book entry system as defined in the Uniform Commercial Code, sections 400.8-102 and 400.8-108, RSMo. When such eligible securities of the retirement system are so deposited with a central depository system, the securities may be merged and held in the name of the nominee of such securities depository and title to such securities may be transferred by bookkeeping entry on the books of such securities depository or federal reserve bank without physical delivery of the certificates or documents representing such securities.
4. With appropriate safeguards against loss by the system in any contingency, the board may designate a bank or trust company to serve as a depository of system funds and intermediary in the investment of those funds and payment of system obligations.
5. All retirement allowances or other periodic payments paid by the board shall be paid to recipients of such payments by electronic funds transfer, unless another method has been determined by the board to be appropriate. Each recipient of retirement allowances or other periodic payments shall designate a financial institution or other authorized payment agent and provide the board information necessary for the recipient to receive electronic funds transfer payments through the institution or agent designated. This subsection shall apply to retirement allowances and other periodic payments first paid on or after January 1, 1998, and shall apply to all retirement allowances and other periodic payments on and after January 1, 1999.
169.650. 1. On and after October 13, 1965, all employees as defined in section 169.600 of districts included in this retirement system shall be members of the system by virtue of their employment, and all persons who had five years of prior service who were employees of districts included in sections 169.600 to 169.710 during the school year next preceding October 13, 1965, but who ceased to be employees prior to October 13, 1965, because of physical disability, shall be members of this system by virtue of that prior service. Individuals who qualify as independent contractors under the common law and are treated as such by their employer shall not be considered employees for purposes of membership in or contributions to the retirement system.
2. Any member who rendered service prior to November 1, 1965, as an employee as defined in section 169.600 in a district or junior college district included in the system may claim credit for that service by filing with the board of trustees a complete and detailed record of the service for which the credit is claimed, together with such supporting evidence as the board may require for verification of the record. To the extent that the board finds the record correct, it shall credit the claimant with prior service and shall notify the claimant of its decision.
3. Membership shall be terminated by failure of a member to earn any membership service credit as a public school employee under this system for five consecutive school years, by death, withdrawal of contributions, or retirement.
4. If a member withdraws or is refunded the member's contributions, the member shall thereby forfeit any creditable service the member may have; provided, however, if such person again becomes a member of the system, the member may elect prior to retirement to reinstate any creditable service forfeited at the times of previous withdrawals or refunds. The reinstatement shall be effected by the member paying to the retirement system, with interest, the amount of accumulated contributions withdrawn by the member or refunded to the member with respect to the service being reinstated. A member may reinstate less than the total service previously forfeited, in accordance with rules promulgated by the board of trustees. The payment shall be completed prior to termination of membership with the retirement system with interest on the unpaid balance; provided, however, that if a member is retired on disability before completing such payments, the balance due, with interest, shall be deducted from the member's disability retirement allowance.
5. Any person who is an employee of any statewide nonprofit educational association or organization serving the active membership of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri and who works at least twenty hours per week on a regular basis in a position which is not covered by the public school retirement system of Missouri may be a member of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri. Certificated employees of such statewide nonprofit educational association or organization may not be members of the public school retirement system of Missouri unless such association or organization makes separate application pursuant to subsection 4 of section 169.130. The contributions required to be made by the employee will be deducted from salary and matched by the association or organization.
169.655. 1. Members who have accrued at least one year of membership service credit for employment in a position covered by this retirement system and who have covered employment with this retirement system following the service for which credit is being purchased may purchase membership service credit under the circumstances, terms and conditions provided in this section. With respect to each such purchase authorized by this section the following provisions apply:
(1) The purchase shall be effected by the member paying to the retirement system the amount the member would have contributed and the amount the employer would have contributed had such member been an employee for the number of years for which the member is electing to purchase credit, and had the member's compensation during such period been the highest annual salary rate on record with the retirement system on the date of election to purchase credit. The contribution rate used in determining the amount to be paid shall be the contribution rate in effect on the date of election to purchase credit. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, for all elections to purchase credit received by the retirement system on or after January 1, 2006, the member shall receive credit based on the amount paid by the member for such credit and received by the retirement system by the close of business on June thirtieth of each year. In lieu of charging the member interest on such purchase of credit, the amount to be paid by the member for any remaining credit the member has elected to purchase but has not paid for by June thirtieth of each year shall be recalculated on the following July first using the contribution rate in effect on that July first and the highest salary of record for the member as of that July first. For all elections to purchase credit received by the retirement system prior to January 1, 2006, the retirement system shall determine the cost of such purchase using the calculation method in effect for elections to purchase credit received by the retirement system on or after January 1, 2006, provided that the member shall have a one-time, irrevocable option to continue to have the cost of such purchase be determined using the calculation method in effect at the time of such election to purchase such credit. To be effective, such option must be elected by the member on a form approved by the retirement system and such form must be received by the retirement system by the close of business on June 30, 2006. The retirement system reserves the right to limit the amount of credit purchased by the member in any year if the amounts paid by the member in that year would exceed any applicable contribution limits set forth in Section 415 of Title 26 of the United States Code;
(2) Membership service credit purchased pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be membership service as defined in subdivision (10) of section 169.600;
(3) An election to purchase membership service credit pursuant to this section and payment for the purchase shall be completed prior to termination of membership with the retirement system with interest on the unpaid balance;
(4) Members may purchase membership service credit in increments of one-tenth of a year, and multiple elections to purchase may be made;
(5) Additional terms and conditions applicable to purchases made pursuant to this section including, but not limited to, minimum payments, payment schedules and provisions applicable when a member fails to complete payment may be set by rules of the board.
2. Membership service credit shall not be allowed pursuant to this section or sections 169.570 and 169.577 which exceeds in length the member's membership service credit for employment in a position covered by this system, and in no event may the member receive membership service credit with both this system and another public retirement system for the same service.
3. A member who was employed for at least twenty hours per week on a regular basis by a public school district, public junior college, public community college, public college, or public university, either inside or outside of this state, may elect to purchase equivalent membership service credit.
4. A member who has served in the armed forces of the United States of America and who was discharged or separated from the armed forces by other than a dishonorable discharge may elect to purchase membership service credit for the period of active duty service in the armed forces.
5. Any member granted unpaid maternity or paternity leave for a period, from a position covered by the retirement system, who returned to employment in such a position, may elect to purchase membership service credit for the period of leave.
6. Any member who is or was certified as a vocational-technical teacher on the basis of having a college degree or who was required to have a period of work experience of at least two years in the area of the subject being taught in order to qualify for such certification may, upon written application to the board, purchase equivalent membership service credit for such work experience which shall not exceed the two years necessary for certification if the work experience was in the area that the member taught or is teaching and was completed in two years.
7. Any member who had membership service credit with the public school retirement system of Missouri governed by sections 169.010 to 169.141 but which membership service credit was forfeited by withdrawal or refund may elect to purchase credit for such service. The public school retirement system of Missouri shall transfer to this system an amount equal to the employer contributions for the forfeited service being purchased, plus interest, which shall be applied to reduce the amount the member would otherwise pay for the purchase, provided that the amount transferred shall not exceed one-half of the purchase cost.
8. A member may elect to purchase membership service credit for service rendered while on leave from an employer, as defined in section 169.600, for a not-for-profit corporation or agency whose primary purpose is support of education or education research if the member was employed by that organization to serve twenty or more hours per week on a regular basis.
9. A member who was employed by a private school, private junior college, private community college, private college, or private university, either inside or outside of this state, for at least twenty or more hours per week on a regular basis, may elect to purchase membership service credit for such service rendered.
10. A member who was employed in nonfederal public employment for at least twenty hours a week on a regular basis shall be permitted to purchase equivalent creditable service in the retirement system for such employment subject to provisions of this section.
11. A member who, while eighteen years of age or older, was employed in a position covered by Social Security for at least twenty hours a week on a regular basis shall be permitted to purchase equivalent creditable service in the retirement system for such employment subject to provisions of this section.
169.670. 1. The retirement allowance of a member whose age at retirement is sixty years or more and whose creditable service is five years or more, or whose sum of age and creditable service equals eighty years or more, or whose creditable service is thirty years or more regardless of age, shall be the sum of the following items:
(1) For each year of membership service, one and sixty-one hundredths percent of the member's final average salary;
(2) Six-tenths of the amount payable for a year of membership service for each year of prior service;
(3) Eighty-five one-hundredths of one percent of any amount by which the member's average compensation for services rendered prior to July 1, 1973, exceeds the average monthly compensation on which federal Social Security taxes were paid during the period over which such average compensation was computed, for each year of membership service credit for services rendered prior to July 1, 1973, plus six-tenths of the amount payable for a year of membership service for each year of prior service credit;
(4) In lieu of the retirement allowance otherwise provided by subdivisions (1) to (3) of this subsection, between July 1, 2001, and July 1, 2008, a member may elect to receive a retirement allowance of:
(a) One and fifty-nine hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-nine years or more but less than thirty years and the member has not attained the age of fifty-five;
(b) One and fifty-seven hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-eight years or more but less than twenty-nine years, and the member has not attained the age of fifty-five;
(c) One and fifty-five hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-seven years or more but less than twenty-eight years and the member has not attained the age of fifty-five;
(d) One and fifty-three hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-six years or more but less than twenty-seven years and the member has not attained the age of fifty-five;
(e) One and fifty-one hundredths percent of the member's final average salary for each year of membership service, if the member's creditable service is twenty-five years or more but less than twenty-six years and the member has not attained the age of fifty-five; and
(5) In addition to the retirement allowance provided in subdivisions (1) to (3) of this subsection, a member retiring on or after July 1, 2001, whose creditable service is thirty years or more or whose sum of age and creditable service is eighty years or more, shall receive a temporary retirement allowance equivalent to eight-tenths of one percent of the member's final average salary multiplied by the member's years of service until such time as the member reaches the minimum age for Social Security retirement benefits.
2. If the board of trustees determines that the cost of living, as measured by generally accepted standards, increases five percent or more in the preceding fiscal year, the board shall increase the retirement allowances which the retired members or beneficiaries are receiving by five percent of the amount being received by the retired member or the beneficiary at the time the annual increase is granted by the board; provided that, the increase provided in this subsection shall not become effective until the fourth January first following a member's retirement or January 1, 1982, whichever occurs later, and the total of the increases granted to a retired member or the beneficiary after December 31, 1981, may not exceed eighty percent of the retirement allowance established at retirement or as previously adjusted by other provisions of law. If the cost of living increases less than five percent, the board of trustees may determine the percentage of increase to be made in retirement allowances, but at no time can the increase exceed five percent per year. If the cost of living decreases in a fiscal year, there will be no increase in allowances for retired members on the following January first.
3. The board of trustees may reduce the amounts which have been granted as increases to a member pursuant to subsection 2 of this section if the cost of living, as determined by the board and as measured by generally accepted standards, is less than the cost of living was at the time of the first increase granted to the member; provided that, the reductions shall not exceed the amount of increases which have been made to the member's allowance after December 31, 1981.
4. (1) In lieu of the retirement allowance provided in subsection 1 of this section, called "option 1", a member whose creditable service is twenty-five years or more or who has attained age fifty-five with five or more years of creditable service may elect, in the application for retirement, to receive the actuarial equivalent of the member's retirement allowance in reduced monthly payments for life during retirement with the provision that:
Option 2. Upon the member's death, the reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of and paid to such person as has an insurable interest in the life of the member as the member shall have nominated in the member's election of the option, and provided further that if the person so nominated dies before the retired member, the retirement allowance will be increased to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the member elected option 1;
OR
Option 3. Upon the death of the member three-fourths of the reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of and paid to such person as has an insurable interest in the life of the member and as the member shall have nominated in an election of the option, and provided further that if the person so nominated dies before the retired member, the retirement allowance will be increased to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the member elected option 1;
OR
Option 4. Upon the death of the member one-half of the reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of, and paid to, such person as has an insurable interest in the life of the member and as the member shall have nominated in an election of the option, and provided further that if the person so nominated dies before the retired member, the retirement allowance shall be increased to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the member elected option 1;
OR
Option 5. Upon the death of the member prior to the member having received one hundred twenty monthly payments of the member's reduced allowance, the remainder of the one hundred twenty monthly payments of the reduced allowance shall be paid to such beneficiary as the member shall have nominated in the member's election of the option or in a subsequent nomination. If there is no beneficiary so nominated who survives the member for the remainder of the one hundred twenty monthly payments, the reserve for the remainder of such one hundred twenty monthly payments shall be paid to the estate of the last person to receive a monthly allowance. If the total of the one hundred twenty payments paid to the retired individual and the beneficiary of the retired individual is less than the total of the member's accumulated contributions, the difference shall be paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum;
OR
Option 6. Upon the death of the member prior to the member having received sixty monthly payments of the member's reduced allowance, the remainder of the sixty monthly payments of the reduced allowance shall be paid to such beneficiary as the member shall have nominated in the member's election of the option or in a subsequent nomination. If there is no beneficiary so nominated who survives the member for the remainder of the sixty monthly payments, the reserve for the remainder of such sixty monthly payments shall be paid to the estate of the last person to receive a monthly allowance. If the total of the sixty payments paid to the retired individual and the beneficiary of the retired individual is less than the total of the member's accumulated contributions, the difference shall be paid to the beneficiary in a lump sum;
OR
Option 7. A plan of variable monthly benefit payments which provides, in conjunction with the member's retirement benefits under the federal Social Security laws, level or near-level retirement benefit payments to the member for life during retirement, and if authorized, to an appropriate beneficiary designated by the member. Such a plan shall be actuarially equivalent to the retirement allowance under option 1 and shall be available for election only if established by the board of trustees under duly adopted rules.
(2) The election of an option may be made only in the application for retirement and such application must be filed prior to the date on which the retirement of the member is to be effective. If either the member or the person nominated dies before the effective date of retirement, the option shall not be effective, provided that:
(a) If the member or a person retired on disability retirement dies after attaining age fifty-five and acquiring five or more years of creditable service or after acquiring twenty-five or more years of creditable service and before retirement, except retirement with disability benefits, and the person named by the member as the member's [primary] beneficiary has an insurable interest in the life of the deceased member, the designated beneficiary may elect to receive either survivorship payments under option 2 or a payment of the member's accumulated contributions. If survivorship benefits under option 2 are elected and the member at the time of death would have been eligible to receive an actuarial equivalent of the member's retirement allowance, the designated beneficiary may further elect to defer the option 2 payments until the date the member would have been eligible to receive the retirement allowance provided in subsection 1 of this section.
(b) If the member or a person retired on disability retirement dies before attaining age fifty-five but after acquiring five but fewer than twenty-five years of creditable service, and the person named as the [primary] beneficiary has an insurable interest in the life of the deceased member or disability retiree, the designated beneficiary may elect to receive either a payment of the person's accumulated contributions, or survivorship benefits under option 2 to begin on the date the member would first have been eligible to receive an actuarial equivalent of the person's retirement allowance, or to begin on the date the member would first have been eligible to receive the retirement allowance provided in subsection 1 of this section.
5. If the total of the retirement or disability allowances paid to an individual before the person's death is less than the person's accumulated contributions at the time of the person's retirement, the difference shall be paid to the person's beneficiary or [to the], if there is no beneficiary, to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) person's estate in that order of precedence; provided, however, that if an optional benefit, as provided in option 2, 3 or 4 in subsection 4, had been elected and the beneficiary dies after receiving the optional benefit, then, if the total retirement allowances paid to the retired individual and the individual's beneficiary are less than the total of the contributions, the difference shall be paid to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) estate of the beneficiary, in that order of precedence, unless the retired individual designates a different recipient with the board at or after retirement.
6. If a member dies before receiving a retirement allowance, the member's accumulated contributions at the time of the member's death shall be paid to the member's beneficiary or, if there is no beneficiary, to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) to the member's estate[, if there be no beneficiary]; provided, however, that no such payment shall be made if the beneficiary elects option 2 in subsection 4 of this section, unless the beneficiary dies before having received benefits pursuant to that subsection equal to the accumulated contributions of the member, in which case the amount of accumulated contributions in excess of the total benefits paid pursuant to that subsection shall be paid to the (1) surviving spouse, (2) surviving children in equal shares, (3) surviving parents in equal shares, or (4) estate of the beneficiary, in that order of precedence.
7. If a member ceases to be an employee as defined in section 169.600 and certifies to the board of trustees that such cessation is permanent or if the person's membership is otherwise terminated, the person shall be paid the person's accumulated contributions with interest.
8. Notwithstanding any provisions of sections 169.600 to 169.715 to the contrary, if a member ceases to be an employee as defined in section 169.600 after acquiring five or more years of creditable service, the member may, at the option of the member, leave the member's contributions with the retirement system and claim a retirement allowance any time after the member reaches the minimum age for voluntary retirement. When the member's claim is presented to the board, the member shall be granted an allowance as provided in sections 169.600 to 169.715 on the basis of the member's age and years of service.
9. The retirement allowance of a member retired because of disability shall be nine-tenths of the allowance to which the member's creditable service would entitle the member if the member's age were sixty.
10. Notwithstanding any provisions of sections 169.600 to 169.715 to the contrary, any member who is a member prior to October 13, 1969, may elect to have the member's retirement allowance computed in accordance with sections 169.600 to 169.715 as they existed prior to October 13, 1969.
11. Any application for retirement shall include a sworn statement by the member certifying that the spouse of the member at the time the application was completed was aware of the application and the plan of retirement elected in the application.
12. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person retired prior to August 14, 1984, who is receiving a reduced retirement allowance under option 1 or 2 of subsection 4 of this section, as the option existed prior to August 14, 1984, and whose beneficiary nominated to receive continued retirement allowance payments under the elected option dies or has died, shall upon application to the board of trustees have the person's retirement allowance increased to the amount the person would have been receiving had the person not elected the option, actuarially adjusted to recognize any excessive benefits which would have been paid to the person up to the time of the application.
13. Benefits paid pursuant to the provisions of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri shall not exceed the limitations of Section 415 of Title 26 of the United States Code, except as provided under this subsection. Notwithstanding any other law, the board of trustees may establish a benefit plan under Section 415(m) of Title 26 of the United States Code. Such plan shall be credited solely for the purpose described in Section 415(m)(3)(A) of Title 26 of the United States Code. The board of trustees may promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection and to create and administer such benefit plan.
14. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 1999, and the designated beneficiary of a deceased retired member upon request shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging. As compensation for such duties the person shall receive a payment equivalent to seven and four-tenths percent of the previous month's benefit, which shall be added to the member's or beneficiary's monthly annuity and which shall not be subject to the provisions of subsections 2 and 3 of this section for the purposes of the limit on the total amount of increases which may be received.
15. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 2000, and the designated beneficiary of a deceased retired member upon request shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging. As compensation for such duties the person shall receive a payment equivalent to three and four-tenths percent of the previous month's benefit, which shall be added to the member's or beneficiary's monthly annuity and which shall not be subject to the provisions of subsections 2 and 3 of this section for the purposes of the limit on the total amount of increases which may be received.
16. Any member who has retired prior to July 1, 2001, and the designated beneficiary of a deceased retired member upon request shall be made, constituted, appointed and employed by the board as a special consultant on the matters of education, retirement and aging. As compensation for such duties the person shall receive a payment equivalent to seven and one-tenth percent of the previous month's benefit, which shall be added to the member's or beneficiary's monthly annuity and which shall not be subject to the provisions of subsections 2 and 3 of this section for the purposes of the limit on the total amount of increases which may be received.
169.673. 1. Any member eligible for a retirement allowance pursuant to section 169.670 and who has not previously received a retirement allowance, including an allowance under disability retirement, pursuant to section 169.670, and whose sum of age and creditable service equals eighty-six years or more or whose creditable service is thirty-three years or more or whose age is sixty-three years or more and has eight years or more creditable service may elect a distribution under the partial lump sum option plan provided in this section if the member notifies the retirement system on the application for retirement of the member's effective date of retirement; provided that the partial lump sum option plan may not be elected if the member elects a retirement allowance under option 7 of subdivision (1) of subsection 4 of section 169.670.
2. A member entitled to make an election pursuant to this section may elect to receive a lump sum distribution in addition to the member's monthly retirement allowance payment pursuant to section 169.670 as reduced pursuant to this section. Such member may elect the amount of the member's lump sum distribution from one, but not more than one, of the following options:
(1) A lump sum amount equal to twelve times the retirement allowance, less any temporary retirement allowance payable pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection 1 of section 169.670, the member would receive if no election were made under this section and the member had chosen option 1 under section 169.670;
(2) A lump sum amount equal to twenty-four times the retirement allowance, less any temporary retirement allowance payable pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection 1 of section 169.670, the member would receive if no election were made pursuant to this section and the member had chosen option 1 under section 169.670; or
(3) A lump sum amount equal to thirty-six times the retirement allowance, less any temporary retirement allowance payable pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection 1 of section 169.670, the member would receive if no election were made pursuant to this section and the member had chosen option 1 under section 169.670.
3. When a member makes an election to receive a lump sum distribution pursuant to this section, the retirement allowance that the member would have received in the absence of the election shall be reduced on an actuarially equivalent basis to reflect the payment of the lump sum distribution and the reduced retirement allowance shall be the member's retirement allowance thereafter for all purposes in relation to retirement allowance amounts pursuant to section 169.670. If eligible, the member may also receive a temporary benefit, pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection 1 of section 169.670, for the period of time described therein. A retirement allowance increased due to the death of a person nominated by the member to receive benefits pursuant to the provisions of option 2, 3, or 4 of subsection 4 of section 169.670 shall be increased pursuant to such provisions to the amount the retired member would be receiving had the retired member elected option 1 as actuarially reduced due to the lump sum distribution made pursuant to this section. Any payment of accumulated contributions pursuant to the provisions of sections 169.600 to 169.715 shall be reduced by the amount of any lump sum distribution made pursuant to this section in addition to any other reductions required by sections 169.600 to 169.715.
4. If the member dies before receiving a lump-sum distribution under this section the lump-sum distribution shall be paid in accordance with rules adopted by the board of trustees.
5. Benefits paid pursuant to this section in addition to all other provisions of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system of Missouri shall not exceed the limitations of Section 415 of Title 26 of the United States Code except as provided in subsection 13 of section 169.670.
169.676. 1. If a member dies before service retirement and is not survived by a beneficiary under a valid beneficiary designation filed with the retirement system or all designated beneficiaries have disclaimed the right to receive benefits from the retirement system, the following individuals shall be deemed to be the member’s designated beneficiaries, in the following order of precedence, for the purpose of making an election and receiving benefits under paragraph (a) or (b) of subdivision (2) of subsection 4 of section 169.670:
(1) Surviving spouse at the time of the member’s death;
(2) Surviving children, share and share alike;
(3) Surviving parents, share and share alike;
(4) Estate.
2. The member’s most recent valid designation of a beneficiary received by the retirement system prior to the member’s death revokes all previous designations in their entirety. The member's marriage, divorce, withdrawal of accumulated contributions, or the birth of the member's child, or the member's adoption of a child, shall result in an automatic revocation of the member's previous designation in its entirety upon the retirement system receiving actual notice of such event before or after the member’s death and prior to any payments being made under the provisions of this chapter. This section applies to all beneficiary designations filed with the retirement system before or after the enactment of this section under which payments have not been made under this chapter. This section shall not apply to the member’s designation of a beneficiary to receive a monthly benefit upon the death of the member under subdivision (1) of subsection 4 of section 169.670.
169.712. 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any person duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers in Missouri who, after August 28, 1997, is first employed in a position which would otherwise qualify the person for membership in the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system pursuant to the provisions of sections 169.600 to 169.710 shall be a member of the public school retirement system pursuant to the provisions of sections 169.010 to 169.141, and shall receive creditable service on a pro rata basis in that system for subsequent certificated services which would otherwise have been creditable in the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system. Any such person shall have the option of being a member of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system. The option election must be filed with the board of trustees of the public school retirement system within ninety days of first such employment following August 28, 1997.
2. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any person duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers in Missouri who, on or after August 28, 2003, is employed by a public school, as defined in section 169.010, for at least seventeen but less than twenty hours per week on a regular basis shall be a member of the public school retirement system pursuant to the provisions of sections 169.010 to 169.141, and shall receive creditable service on a pro rata basis in that system. Any such person shall have the option of being a member of the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system. The option election must be filed with the board of trustees of the public school retirement system within ninety days of first such employment or within ninety days of August 28, 2003, whichever later occurs.
3. Any person who is a member of the public school retirement system or the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system pursuant to subsection 2 of this section may purchase credit in such system for service after August 28, 1991, that would have qualified such person for membership in either retirement system pursuant to subsection 2 of this section had such subsection been in effect prior to August 28, 2003; provided that such purchase of credit in the public school retirement system shall be subject to the provisions of section 169.056 and such purchase of credit in the [nonteacher school] public education employee retirement system shall be subject to the provisions of section 169.655.
[169.555. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 169.030 and 169.620 to the contrary, the board of trustees shall have the authority to fix and certify to employers the level rate of contribution for a fiscal year no later than six months prior to the date such rate is to be effective, subject to the following:
(1) The level rate of contribution for the system created by sections 169.010 to 169.141 shall not exceed the level rate of contribution for the prior fiscal year by more than one-half percent;
(2) The level rate of contribution for the system created by sections 169.600 to 169.715 shall not exceed the level rate of contribution for the prior fiscal year by more than one-quarter percent;
(3) The contribution rate shall be based on an actuarial valuation as of a date not earlier than the last day of the second prior fiscal year. Such actuarial valuation shall be performed using processes and actuarial assumptions that are in accordance with the actuarial standards of practice in effect at the time the valuation is performed, as promulgated by the actuarial standards board or its successor; provided that such actuarial valuation shall be based on the entry age normal actuarial cost method and an asset valuation method based on the market value of system assets that may provide for smoothing of investment gains and losses, and further, that the level rate of contribution shall be the total of the normal cost and a rate which shall amortize the unfunded actuarial accrued liability over a period that shall not exceed thirty years from the date of the valuation, subject to the limitations of this subsection;
(4) Not less than once every ten years the board shall have an actuary, other than the actuary performing the actuarial valuation pursuant to this section, review such actuarial valuation and perform an additional actuarial valuation of the system;
(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (3) to (8) of subsection 1 of section 169.070 and subdivision (4) of subsection 1 of section 169.670 to the contrary, no legislation shall be enacted after July 1, 2003, that increases benefits provided to members or retirees of the systems created by sections 169.010 to 169.141 or 169.600 contribution rate in effect on July 1, 2003.]