Section 12C: Widow and children survivor benefits; manner of payment; contributions

Summary

Section 12C extends the survivor benefits of Section 12B to the widow and children of a deceased employee who had completed two years of creditable service and had been married for at least one year but who — though eligible — failed or elected not to become a member of the retirement system. To qualify, the surviving family must pay into the annuity savings fund an amount equal to the deductions that would have been withheld during the employee's career, plus accumulated interest. This provision ensures that non-member eligible employees' families are not permanently foreclosed from survivor benefits when the failure to enroll was a matter of election rather than ineligibility.

Statutory Text

Section 12C. The benefits provided for a widow and children under section twelve B shall be paid in like manner to the widow and children of a deceased employee who had completed two years of creditable service and had been married to such widow for one year at the time of his death and who having had the right to become a member of the retirement system failed to become or elected not to become such a member; provided, that there is paid into the annuity savings fund of the appropriate retirement system an amount equal to the deductions that would have been made from his annual compensation had he become a member of the retirement system at the time of his entry into service together with accumulated interest to the date of such payment.