2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243g-4. Police Officers Pension System in Certain Municipalities › Section 16. Rights of Survivors

Sec. 16.  RIGHTS OF SURVIVORS.  (a)  For purposes of this article, a marriage is considered to exist only if the couple is lawfully married under the laws of a state, the District of Columbia, a United States territory, or a foreign jurisdiction and the marriage would be recognized as a marriage under the laws of at least one state, possession, or territory of the United States, regardless of domicile.  In the case of a common-law marriage, a marriage declaration must be signed by the member and the member's common-law spouse before a notary public or similar official and recorded in the records of the applicable jurisdiction in which the couple resides at the commencement of the marriage.  In addition, a marriage that is evidenced by a declaration of common-law marriage signed before a notary public or similar official after December 31, 1999, may not be treated as effective earlier than the date on which it was signed before the notary public or similar official.
(b)  If a retired member dies after becoming eligible for a service or disability pension, the board shall pay an immediate monthly benefit as follows:
(1)  to the surviving spouse for life, if there is a surviving spouse, a sum equal to the pension that was being received by the retired member at the time of death;
(2)  to the guardian of any dependent child under 18 years of age or a child with a disability as long as the dependent child complies with the definition of dependent child under Section 2(7) of this article, on behalf of the dependent child, or directly to a dependent child described by Section 2(7)(B) of this article, and if there is no spouse eligible for an allowance, the sum a surviving spouse would have received, to be divided equally among all dependent children if there is more than one dependent child; or
(3)  to any dependent parents for life if no spouse or dependent child is eligible for an allowance, the sum the spouse would have received, to be divided equally between the two parents if there are two dependent parents.
(c)  If an active member of the pension system who has not completed 20 years of service in the police department is killed or dies from any cause growing out of or in consequence of any act clearly not in the actual performance of the member's official duty, the member's surviving spouse, dependent child or children, or dependent parent or parents are eligible to receive an immediate benefit.  The benefit is computed in the same manner as a service retirement pension but is based on the deceased member's service and final average pay at the time of death.  The monthly benefit may not be less than:
(1)  27.5 percent of the member's final average pay for members hired before October 9, 2004, including a member who involuntarily separated from service but has been retroactively reinstated under arbitration, civil service, or a court ruling; or
(2)  22.5 percent of the member's final average pay for members hired or rehired on or after October 9, 2004.
(e)  If any active member is killed or dies from any cause growing out of or in consequence of the performance of the member's duty, the member's surviving spouse, dependent child or children, or dependent parent or parents are eligible to receive immediate benefits computed in accordance with Subsection (b) of this section, except that the benefit is equal to 100 percent of the member's final average pay, computed as of the date of death.
(f)  A surviving spouse who receives a survivor's benefit under this article is eligible to receive an additional amount each month equal to $150, beginning with the later of the date the first payment of the survivor's benefit is due or the date the first monthly payment becomes due after June 18, 2001, and continuing until the end of the month in which the surviving spouse dies.
(g)  A surviving spouse or dependent who becomes eligible to receive benefits with respect to an active member who was hired or rehired before October 9, 2004, who dies in active service after November 23, 1998, is eligible to receive a one-time lump-sum payment of $5,000 at the time the first monthly pension benefit is paid, if the member has not already received a $5,000 lump-sum payment under Section 12 or 15(c) of this article.  If more than one dependent is eligible to receive a payment under this subsection, the $5,000 shall be divided equally among the eligible dependents.  This payment has no effect on the amount of the surviving spouse's or dependents' monthly pension and may not be paid more than once.
(h)  The monthly benefits of surviving spouses or dependents provided under this section, except the $150 monthly payments described by Subsection (f) of this section, shall be increased annually at the same time and by the same percentage as the pensions of retired members are increased in accordance with Section 12(c) or 12(c-1) of this article.  Also, for any year in which a 13th payment is made pursuant to Section 12(e) of this article, a 13th payment, computed in the same manner and subject to the same conditions, shall also be made to the survivor who is eligible to receive death benefits at that time if the member would have been entitled to a 13th payment, if living.
(i)  If a member or individual receiving a survivor's pension dies before monthly payments have been made for at least five years, leaving no person otherwise eligible to receive further monthly payments with respect to the member, the monthly payments shall continue to be made in the same amount as the last monthly payment made to the member or survivor until payments have been made for five years with respect to the member.  The payments shall be made to the spouse of the member, if living, and if no spouse is living, to the natural or adopted children of the member, to be divided equally among the children if the member has more than one child.  If the member has no spouse or children who are living, the benefit may not be paid.  If the member dies after becoming eligible to receive benefits but before payments begin, leaving no survivors eligible for benefits, the amount of each monthly payment over the five-year period shall be the same as the monthly payment the member would have received if the member had taken disability retirement on the date of the member's death and shall be paid to the member's spouse or children in the manner provided by this subsection.  If the member has no spouse or children who are living, then the benefit may not be paid.  The member's estate or a beneficiary who is not a survivor or dependent is not eligible to receive the payment described by Subsection (g) of this section.
(j)  A benefit payment made in accordance with this section on behalf of a minor or other person under a legal disability fully discharges the pension system's obligation to that person.
(k)  A retired member or surviving spouse may designate a beneficiary on a form prescribed by the pension system to receive the final monthly payment owed but not received before the member's or surviving spouse's death.
(l)  The board may at any time require a person receiving death benefits as a disabled child under this article to undergo a medical examination by a physician appointed or selected by the board for that purpose.