Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 25 - PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; PUBLIC RECORDS (§§ 25-1-1 — 25-65-33) › Chapter 13 - HIGHWAY SAFETY PATROL RETIREMENT SYSTEM (§§ 25-13-1 — 25-13-35) › Section 25-13-13 - Death benefits

(1)
Upon the death of any highway patrolman who has retired for service or disability and who has not elected any other option under Section
25-13-16
, his or her spouse shall receive one-half (1/2) the benefit that he or she was receiving and each child not having attained his nineteenth birthday shall receive one-fourth (1/4) of the benefit, but not more than one-half (1/2) of the benefits shall be paid for the support and maintenance of two (2) or more children. Upon each child's attaining the age of nineteen (19) years, the child shall no longer be eligible for the benefit, and when all of the children have attained their nineteenth birthday, only the spouse shall be eligible for one-half (1/2) the amount of the benefit. The spouse shall continue to be eligible for the benefit in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of his or her retirement benefit so long as the spouse may live. Surviving spouses of deceased members who previously received spouse retirement benefits under this subsection from and after July 1, 1958, and whose benefits were terminated before July 1, 2004, because of remarriage, may again receive the retirement benefits authorized under this subsection by making application with the board to reinstate the benefits. Any reinstatement of the benefits shall be prospective only and shall begin after the first of the month following the date of the application for reinstatement, but no earlier than July 1, 2004.
(2)
Upon the death of any highway patrolman who has served the minimum retirement period required for eligibility for this retirement program, his or her spouse and family shall receive all the benefits payable to the highway patrolman's beneficiaries as if he or she had retired at the time of his or her death. Those benefits continue to be paid to the spouse for life. The benefits are payable on a monthly basis. Surviving spouses of deceased members who previously received spouse retirement benefits under this subsection from and after July 1, 1958, and whose benefits were terminated before July 1, 2004, because of remarriage, may again receive the retirement benefits authorized under this subsection by making application with the board to reinstate the benefits. Any reinstatement of the benefits shall be prospective only and shall begin after the first of the month following the date of the application for reinstatement, but no earlier than July 1, 2004.
(3)
The spouse and/or the dependent children of an active member who is killed in the line of performance of duty or dies as a direct result of an accident occurring in the line of performance of duty shall qualify, on approval of the board, for a retirement allowance on the first of the month following the date of death, but not before receipt of application by the board. The spouse shall receive a retirement allowance equal to one-half (1/2) of the average compensation of the deceased highway patrolman. In addition to the retirement allowance for the spouse, or if there is no surviving spouse, a retirement allowance shall be paid in the amount of one-fourth (1/4) of the average compensation for the support and maintenance of one (1) child or in the amount of one-half (1/2) of the average compensation for the support and maintenance of two (2) or more children. Those benefits shall cease to be paid for the support and maintenance of each child upon the child attaining the age of nineteen (19) years; however, the spouse shall continue to be eligible for the aforesaid retirement allowance. Benefits may be paid to a surviving parent or lawful custodian of the children for the use and benefit of the children without the necessity of appointment as guardian. The retirement allowance shall continue to be paid to the spouse for life. Surviving spouses of deceased members who previously received spouse retirement benefits under this subsection from and after July 1, 1958, and whose benefits were terminated before July 1, 2004, because of remarriage, may again receive the retirement benefits authorized under this subsection by making application with the board to reinstate the benefits. Any reinstatement of the benefits shall be prospective only and shall begin after the first of the month following the date of the application for reinstatement, but no earlier than July 1, 2004.
(4)
All benefits accruing to any child under the provisions of this chapter shall be paid to the parent custodian of the children or the legal guardian.
(5)
Children receiving the benefits provided in this section who are permanently or totally disabled shall continue to receive the benefits for as long as the medical board or other designated governmental agency certifies that the disability continues. The age limitation for benefits payable to a child under any provision of this section shall be extended beyond age nineteen (19), but in no event beyond the attainment of age twenty-three (23), as long as the child is a student regularly pursuing a full-time course of resident study or training in an accredited high school, trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior or community college, college, university or comparable recognized educational institution duly licensed by a state. A student child who is receiving a retirement allowance as of June 30, 2016, whose birthday falls during the school year (September 1 through June 30) is considered not to reach age twenty-three (23) until the July 1 following the actual twenty-third birthday. A full-time course of resident study or training means a day or evening noncorrespondence course that includes school attendance at the rate of at least thirty-six (36) weeks per academic year or other applicable period with a subject load sufficient, if successfully completed, to attain the educational or training objective within the period generally accepted as minimum for completion, by a full-time day student, of the academic or training program concerned.
(6)
If all the annuities provided for in this section payable on the account of the death of a member terminate before there has been paid an aggregate amount equal to the member's accumulated contributions standing to the member's credit in the annuity savings account at the time of the member's death, the difference between the accumulated contributions and the aggregate amount of annuity payments shall be paid to the person as the member has nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the board of trustees in the office of the Public Employees' Retirement System. If there is no designated beneficiary surviving at termination of benefits, the difference shall be payable pursuant to Section
25-13-21.1(1)
.
(7)
All benefits paid to a spouse or child due to the death of a member before or after retirement shall be paid in accordance with the statutory provisions set forth as of the date of death.
Codes, 1942, § 8090-57; Laws, 1958, ch. 543, § 7; Laws, 1966, ch. 620, § 3; Laws, 1975, ch. 500, § 3; Laws, 1976, ch. 422; Laws, 1986, ch. 396, § 3; Laws, 1989, ch. 399, § 1; Laws, 1990, ch. 472, § 3; Laws, 1991, ch. 513, § 12; Laws, 1992, ch. 576, § 11; Laws, 1999, ch. 544, § 9; Laws, 2000, ch. 628, § 17; Laws, 2004, ch. 561, § 9, eff. 7/1/2004.
Amended by Laws, 2016, ch. 397, HB 899, 12, eff. 7/1/2016.