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 5. Deferred Retirement Option Plan

Sec. 5. DEFERRED RETIREMENT OPTION PLAN.    (a)  A member who is eligible to receive a service pension under Section 4(a)(1) of this article and who remains in active service may elect to participate in the deferred retirement option plan provided by this section.  A member who is eligible to receive a service pension under Section 4(a)(2) of this article may not elect to participate in the deferred retirement option plan provided by this section. On subsequently terminating active service, a member who elected the DROP may apply for a monthly service pension under Section 4 of this article, except that the effective date of the member's election to participate in the DROP will be considered the member's retirement date for determining the amount of the member's monthly service pension.  The member may also apply for any DROP benefit provided under this section on terminating active service.  An election to participate in the DROP, once approved by the board, is irrevocable.
(a-1)  The monthly benefit of a DROP participant who has at least 20 years of participation on the year 2017 effective date is increased at retirement by two percent of the amount of the member's original benefit for every full year of participation in the DROP by the member for up to 10 years of participation in the DROP.  For a member's final year of participation, but not beyond the member's 10th year in the DROP, if a full year of participation is not completed, the member shall receive a prorated increase of 0.166 percent of the member's original benefit for each month of participation in that year.  An increase provided by this subsection does not apply to benefits payable under Subsection (l) of this section.  An increase under this subsection is applied to the member's benefit at retirement and is not added to the member's DROP account.  The total increase under this subsection may not exceed 20 percent for 10 years of participation in the DROP by the member.
(b)  A member may elect to participate in the DROP by complying with the election process established by the board.  The member's election may be made at any time beginning on the date the member has completed 20 years of participation in the fund and is otherwise eligible for a service pension under Section 4(a)(1) of this article.  Beginning on the first day of the month following the month in which the member makes an election to participate in the DROP, subject to board approval, and ending on the year 2017 effective date, amounts equal to the deductions made from the member's salary under Section 13(c) of this article shall be credited to the member's DROP account.  Beginning after the year 2017 effective date, amounts equal to the deductions made from the member's salary under Section 13(c) of this article may not be credited to the member's DROP account.
(b-1)  On or after the year 2017 effective date, an active member may not participate in the DROP for more than 13 years.  If a DROP participant remains in active service after the 13th anniversary of the effective date of the member's DROP election:
(1)  subsequent deductions from the member's salary under Section 13(c) of this article, except for unused leave pay, may not be credited to the member's DROP account; and
(2)  the account shall continue to be credited with earnings in accordance with Subsection (d) of this section.
(b-2)  For a member who is a DROP participant, the fund shall credit to the member's DROP account, in accordance with Section 13(c-1) of this article, the amount of unused leave pay otherwise payable to the member and received as a contribution to the fund from the municipality.
(c)  After a member's DROP election becomes effective, an amount equal to the monthly service pension the member would have received under Section 4 of this article, if applicable, had the member terminated active service on the effective date of the member's DROP election shall be credited to a DROP account maintained for the member.  That monthly credit to the member's DROP account shall continue until the earlier of the date the member terminates active service or the 13th anniversary of the date of the first credit to the member's DROP account.
(d)  A member's DROP account shall be credited with earnings at an annual rate equal to 65 percent of the compounded average annual return earned by the fund over the five years preceding, but not including, the year during which the credit is given.  Notwithstanding the preceding, however, the credit to the member's DROP account shall be at an annual rate of not less than 2.5 percent, irrespective of actual earnings.
(d-1)  Earnings credited to a member's DROP account under Subsection (d) of this section shall be computed and credited at a time and in a manner determined by the board, except that earnings shall be credited not less frequently than once in each 13-month period and shall take into account partial years of participation in the DROP.
(d-2)  A member may not roll over accumulated unused sick or vacation time paid to the member as a lump-sum payment after termination of active service into the member's DROP account.
(e) A member who terminates active service after participating in the DROP is entitled to receive, in addition to the member's service pension under Section 4 of this article, a benefit equal to the balance of the member's DROP account.
(e-1)  In lieu of receiving a lump-sum payment on termination from active service, a retired member who has been a DROP participant or, if termination from active service was due to the DROP participant's death, the surviving spouse of the DROP participant may elect to leave the retired member's DROP account with the fund and receive earnings credited to the DROP account in the manner described by Subsection (d) of this section.
(f) In lieu of a single lump-sum payment, a member may elect to receive partial payments from the member's DROP account for each calendar year, in an amount elected by the member.  The board may establish procedures concerning partial payments, including limitations on timing and frequency of those payments.  A member who elects partial payments may, at any time, elect to receive the member's entire remaining DROP account balance in a single lump-sum payment.
(g) If a member elects partial payments, for periods after a member terminates active service and before the member's DROP account is completely distributed, the member's DROP account shall be credited with earnings of the fund as computed under Subsection (d) of this section.
(h) An election by a member concerning single lump-sum or partial payments as provided by Subsection (e) or (f) of this section must satisfy the requirements of Section 401(a)(9) of the code.  All distributions and changes in form of distribution must be made in a manner and at a time that comply with that provision of the code.
(i)  The day immediately before the date the DROP participant's election becomes effective is the last day used for purposes of computing and providing service pension benefits under Section 4 of this article or for purposes of computing and providing death benefits under Section 7 of this article.  A salary earned or additional years of participation completed after the member's DROP election becomes effective may not be considered in the computation of retirement or death benefits, except for the limited purpose of percentage increases provided under Subsection (a) of this section.
(j)  If a DROP participant dies before complete distribution of the member's DROP account has been made, the member's DROP account balance shall be distributed to the member's eligible beneficiaries, determined as follows:
(1)  if the member is survived by a spouse who was the member's spouse on the date the member's DROP election became effective and one or more eligible children, one-half of the member's DROP account balance shall be paid to that eligible spouse, and the remaining one-half shall be divided equally among the member's eligible children;
(2)  if the member is survived by a spouse described by Subdivision (1) of this subsection, but not by an eligible child, the member's entire DROP account balance shall be paid to the surviving spouse;
(3)  if the member is survived by one or more eligible children, but not by a spouse described by Subdivision (1) of this subsection, the member's DROP account balance shall be divided equally among the eligible children;
(4)  if the member is not survived by a spouse described by Subdivision (1) of this subsection or an eligible child, the member's DROP account balance shall be divided equally among the member's eligible parents;
(5)  if the member is not survived by a spouse described by Subdivision (1) of this subsection, an eligible child, or an eligible parent, the member's DROP account balance shall be distributed in accordance with the member's beneficiary designation filed with the board or, if the member has failed to file a valid beneficiary designation, to the member's estate;
(6)  if a member's spouse described by Subdivision (1) of this subsection was not married to the member on the date the member's DROP election became effective, the spouse shall receive a reduced benefit equal to the benefit otherwise payable to the surviving spouse under this subsection, multiplied by the percentage of the period between the member's DROP election and the date the member left active service during which the spouse and the member were married, and the amount by which the spouse's benefit is reduced shall be divided among any other eligible survivors as if the member did not have an eligible spouse or, if there are no eligible survivors, distributed in accordance with the member's beneficiary designation filed with the board, or if the member failed to file a valid beneficiary designation, to the member's estate; and
(7)  if the conditions described by Subdivision (1), (2), or (6) of this subsection exist, the surviving spouse may elect to maintain the DROP account with the fund in the same manner described by Subsections (e), (f), and (g) of this section.
(j-1)  Only for the purpose of distributing a member's DROP account under Subsection (j) of this section, a person who is designated a beneficiary adult child in a valid beneficiary designation filed by the member with the board is considered an eligible child.  A designation under this subsection is distinct from the member's beneficiary designation under Subsection (j)(5) of this section.
(k) An eligible beneficiary's share of a deceased member's DROP account shall be distributed as soon as administratively practicable after the member's death in the form of a single lump-sum payment, unless the surviving spouse makes the election permitted by Subsection (j)(7) of this section.  All distributions to beneficiaries under this subsection must be made in a manner and at a time that comply with Section 401(a)(9) of the code.
(l) A member who participates in the DROP is ineligible for disability benefits described by Section 6 of this article, except the benefits described by Section 6(c).  If a member who has a disability described by Section 6(c) of this article is a DROP participant, the disability benefit provided by Section 6(c)(1) shall be paid to the member, as a monthly pension benefit, in addition to payments from the DROP account balance.  If a member who dies under the conditions described by Section 7(c) of this article is a DROP participant at the time of death or disability resulting in death, the benefit provided by Section 7(c) shall be paid to the member's eligible survivors, as a monthly pension benefit, in addition to payments from the DROP account balance.
(m)  A DROP participant with a break in service may receive service credit within DROP for days worked after the regular expiration of the maximum DROP participation period prescribed by this section.  The service credit shall be limited to the number of days in which the participant experienced a break in service or the number of days required to constitute 13 years of DROP participation, whichever is smaller.  A retired member who previously participated in the DROP and who returns to active service is subject to the terms of this section in effect at the time of the member's return to active service.
(n) After August 31, 2000, the board may set a date after which additional members will not be allowed to elect to participate in the DROP. A member whose election to participate in the DROP becomes effective before a deadline established by the board is entitled to continue participating in the DROP.
(o) A member who has made a DROP election is not classified as retired, eligible to be paid, or eligible to accrue or to receive any benefit that is accrued or received by a member who has terminated active service or by the eligible survivors of deceased members unless the member who has made the DROP election has terminated active service.
(p) A member participating in the DROP who was qualified to make a DROP election before the actual date of the member's election may elect to have the member's DROP account recomputed by participating in a Back-DROP. Under a Back-DROP election, the member's account balance is equal to the amount that the account would have had if the member had elected to participate in the DROP on an earlier date chosen by the member.  The Back-DROP date chosen by the member may not be earlier than the later of the date that is three years before the date the member elected to participate in the DROP, or September 1, 1995.  The member's choice of a Back-DROP date is irrevocable, except as provided by Subsection (r) of this section.
(q)  A member may revoke the member's Back-DROP election by notifying the fund in writing not later than the earlier of:
(1)  the date the member leaves active service; or
(2)  the 10th business day after the date the member signs an application form for a Back-DROP.
(r) A member may revoke the date chosen under a Back-DROP election and choose an earlier Back-DROP date only if:
(1)  the first date the member chooses is not the earliest date permitted under Subsection (p) of this section;  and
(2)  the board determines that the member's injury or illness has caused the member to be separated from service earlier than the member anticipated.