2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243e.2(1). Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund in Municipalities of at Least 1,600,000 Population › Section 11. General Provisions for Calculation and Payment of Benefits

Sec. 11. GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR CALCULATION AND PAYMENT OF BENEFITS.    (a)  A member, eligible survivor, or beneficiary of a member is not entitled to receive payments from a fund under more than one section of this article in a particular capacity.  However, a person may be entitled to benefits both as a member and as a survivor or beneficiary of another member.
(b) The amounts of all benefits that the member or the member's beneficiaries may become entitled to receive from the fund shall be computed on the basis of the schedule of benefits in effect for the fund at the member's election either on the day the member leaves active service or on the day the member ceases to carry out the member's regular duties as a firefighter, without adjustment for any subsequent increases of benefits unless those increases are expressly made applicable to previously retired members or their beneficiaries.
(c)  Subject to Subsection (c-3) of this section and except as provided by Subsection (c-4) of this section, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, the benefits, including survivor benefits, payable based on the service of a member who has terminated active service and who is or would have been at least 55 years old, received or is receiving an on-duty disability pension under Section 6(c) of this article, or died under the conditions described by Section 7(c) of this article, shall be increased in October of each year by a percentage rate equal to the most recent five fiscal years' smoothed return, as determined by the fund actuary, minus 475 basis points.
(c-1)  Subject to Subsection (c-3) of this section and except as provided by Subsection (c-4) of this section, for the fund's fiscal years ending June 30, 2018, and June 30, 2019, the benefits, including survivor benefits, payable based on the service of a member who is or would have been at least 70 years old and who received or is receiving a service pension under Section 4 of this article, received or is receiving an on-duty disability pension under Section 6(c) of this article, or died under the conditions described by Section 7(c) of this article, shall be adjusted in October of each applicable fiscal year by a percentage rate equal to the most recent five fiscal years' smoothed return, as determined by the fund actuary, minus 500 basis points.
(c-2)  Subject to Subsection (c-3) of this section and except as provided by Subsection (c-4) of this section, for the fund's fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, members described by Subsection (c-1) of this section shall receive the increase provided under Subsection (c) of this section.
(c-3)  The percentage rate prescribed by Subsections (c), (c-1), and (c-2) of this section may not be less than zero percent or more than four percent, irrespective of the return rate of the fund's investment portfolio.
(c-4)  Each year after the year 2017 effective date, a member who elects to participate in the DROP under Section 5 of this article may not receive the increase provided under Subsection (c), (c-1), or (c-2) of this section in any October during which the member participates in the DROP.
(d) In computing a member's years of participation, time served in the armed forces of the nation during war or national emergency is considered continuous service.  Except for that military service, credit for prior service shall be given only if a member returns to active service as a firefighter before the fifth anniversary of a previous effective date of termination.  Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, contributions, benefits, and service credit with respect to qualified military service shall be provided in accordance with Section 414(u) of the code.  A member who is engaged in active duty in any of the military services of the United States shall receive credited pension service for the period of the military service if the member returns to employment with the employer municipality's fire department with an honorable discharge within the period required by the federal reemployment Act and the period of military service does not exceed the period prescribed by that Act.  If a member sustains an injury while on military leave under the terms of the federal reemployment Act, pension benefits are payable based on the off-duty disability benefit provisions prescribed by Section 6(e) of this article.  If a member dies while on military leave under the terms of the federal reemployment Act, death benefits are payable to eligible survivors based on the off-duty death benefits prescribed by Section 7 of this article.  This subsection is intended to comply with the federal reemployment Act.  The board may make, maintain, and amend policies and procedures as desirable or necessary to implement the federal reemployment Act.  In this subsection, "federal reemployment Act" means the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (38 U.S.C. Section 4301 et seq.), as amended.
(e) A retired firefighter may be recalled to duty by the chief of the fire department in case of great conflagration and shall perform those duties the chief directs but does not have a claim against a municipality or the fund of that municipality for payment for the duty performed.
(f)  A member, eligible survivor, or beneficiary who is entitled to receive a benefit payment under this article is entitled to receive the benefit beginning after the date the member ceases to carry out the member's regular duties as a firefighter, notwithstanding the fact that the member may remain on the payroll of the member's fire department or receive sick leave, vacation, or other pay after the effective date of termination of the member's regular duties as a firefighter.  In this article, an authorization to receive a benefit "beginning after the effective date of the member's termination of active service" includes authority for the member to instead elect to make the member's pension effective after the date the member ceases to carry out the member's regular duties as a firefighter.  If there is a delay in beginning payment of benefits resulting from the requirements of Section 6(h) of this article for disability pensions, the member or beneficiary shall, when the disability pension is approved by the board, be paid the full amount of the disability pension that has accrued since the effective date of termination of the member's regular duties as a firefighter.
(g)  A member may designate in a trust document accepted by the fund a trustee to receive the benefit payable to any eligible survivor or beneficiary other than the member's eligible spouse or a spouse eligible to receive a benefit under the DROP.  On or after the death or incapacity of the member, an eligible survivor or beneficiary may designate a trustee under this subsection.  If the eligible survivor or beneficiary is disabled or a minor child, the parent or legal guardian, as applicable, of the eligible survivor or beneficiary may make the designation.  Any designation made under this subsection must be made on a form approved by the board.
(h) A benefit payable under this article to a minor or another person under a legal disability may be made only to the legal guardian of the person, or as provided by Subsection (g) of this section. A payment made in accordance with this section on behalf of a minor or other person under a legal disability fully discharges the fund's obligation to that person.
(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, a person entitled to receive benefit payments from the fund may:
(1)  make a one-time election to receive a smaller pension or survivor benefit than is otherwise provided under this article;
(2)  make a one-time election not to receive any future annual increases in the pension or survivor benefits received by the person or the person's beneficiary;  or
(3)  make a one-time election not to receive a specific benefit enhancement.
(j) An election under Subsection (i) of this section must be made in writing and submitted to the board for approval.  On the date the board grants approval of an election under Subsection (i) of this section, the election becomes irrevocable.
(k) A benefit under this article may not be integrated with benefits payable under the federal Social Security Act.  In a municipality in which firefighters are eligible to enroll for or receive retirement benefits under the Social Security Act, benefits that may be available to a member under the Social Security Act may not be taken into account in determining the amount of benefits a member may receive under this article.
(l) If the board determines that the amount in the fund is insufficient to pay in full any pension or disability benefits, all pension and disability benefits made after the date of the determination shall be reduced pro rata for the period the insufficiency exists.
(m)  A benefit payable under this article because of the death of a member or eligible beneficiary may not be paid to a person convicted of causing that death but instead shall be paid as if the convicted person predeceased the deceased member or beneficiary.   Except as otherwise permitted by this subsection with respect to suspension of benefits, the board is not required to withhold payment to a person convicted of causing the death of a member or eligible beneficiary until the board receives actual notice of the conviction of that person.  The board may suspend payment of a benefit payable on the death of a member or an eligible beneficiary on the indictment of the person who would otherwise be entitled to the benefit, and the suspension remains in effect until the board determines that a final disposition of the charges relating to the cause of death has occurred.  If a benefit payment is suspended under this subsection and the person is not convicted, the benefit again becomes payable with interest computed at the rate earned by the fund during the time the benefit payment was suspended.  For purposes of this subsection, a person has been convicted of causing the death of a member or eligible beneficiary if:
(1)  the person has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to, or the person has been found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction of, an offense at the trial of which it is established that the person's intentional or knowing act or omission caused the death of the member or eligible beneficiary, regardless of whether sentence is imposed or probated; and
(2)  an appeal of the conviction is not pending, and the time provided for appeal has expired.
(n) If one or more persons have been given a power of attorney effective to direct distribution of benefits to any person eligible to receive benefits under this article and the fund receives conflicting directions as to those distributions, the fund may withhold benefits until either the final result of judicial proceedings determining which directive prevails or the fund receives a signed agreement between attorneys-in-fact, and principals, if applicable, on distribution directives that completely resolves the conflict.  The fund may not be made a party to any proceeding or suit concerning or involving the distribution of benefits under conflicting directives.
(o) The fund may offset amounts received wrongly or in error from the fund by any person receiving benefit payments under this article by making deductions from future benefit payments otherwise payable to the person or the person's beneficiaries.  Deductions from future payments for an overpayment may be made only for an overpayment made during the three years preceding the date the board discovers or discovered the overpayment.  The board may not recover an overpayment from a recipient if the overpayment was made more than three years before the date the board discovers or discovered the error.  The limitation provided by this section does not apply to an overpayment that a reasonable person should know the person is not entitled to receive.  The remedy provided by this subsection is not exclusive of any other remedy available to the fund.