2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243a-1. Pension System for Police Officers and Firefighters in Certain Cities › Part 6. Benefits › Section 6.063. Authority to Elect Certain Actuarially Reduced Benefits

Sec. 6.063.  AUTHORITY TO ELECT CERTAIN ACTUARIALLY REDUCED BENEFITS.  (a)  The board shall adopt policies under which a member who is leaving active service or a pensioner may elect to accept actuarially reduced benefits to provide the following optional benefits:
(1)  a 100 percent joint and survivor annuity with the member's or pensioner's spouse;
(2)  a 50 percent joint and survivor annuity with a spouse who is not a qualified survivor because the marriage to the pensioner occurred after the pensioner terminated active service, provided the election is made not later than one year after the date of the marriage; or
(3)  a death benefit for a child who is not a qualified survivor because the child was born or adopted after the member left active service, but only if the child:
(A)  is a dependent of the pensioner, within the meaning of Section 152(a)(1) of the code; and
(B)  has not attained 18 years of age at the time of the election.
(b)  An election under this section may not be revoked by the member or pensioner after it is filed with the pension system.
(c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, an election under this section shall result in benefits being paid as prescribed by this section instead of as prescribed by Section 6.01, 6.02, 6.04, 6.05, 6.07, or 6.08 of this article, as applicable.
(d)  A pensioner who desires to make an election under Subsection (a)(1) of this section after having made an election under Subsection (a)(2) of this section shall incur a second actuarial reduction in benefits to pay for the increased survivor annuity.
(e)  Except as provided by Subsection (f) of this section, a person is not entitled to the payment of benefits under this section with respect to a pensioner who makes an election after termination of active service and dies within one year after making the election, except the amount by which the pensioner's benefits were reduced are paid to the person who is entitled to receive payments under Section 6.064 of this article.
(f)  Subsection (e) of this section does not apply to a person who makes an election under Subsection (a)(1) of this section to receive a 100 percent joint and survivor annuity with a spouse who is a qualified survivor at the time:
(1)  the board grants a retirement pension; or
(2)  a retirement pension would have been granted but for the fact that the person elected to participate in DROP after retirement.
(g)  The actuarially reduced benefits being paid to the pensioner under this section will not be increased if the spouse dies before the pensioner, or if the child attains 19 years of age before the pensioner dies.
(h)  The joint and survivor annuity or the pensioner's pension and child's death benefit payable under this section is the actuarial equivalent of the pension and death benefits, if any, that would have been payable, at the time of the election, if the election had not been made.  On the death of the pensioner:
(1)  the surviving spouse of a pensioner who made an election under Subsection (a)(1) of this section receives a pension that is equal to the reduced pension being received by the pensioner at the time of death; and
(2)  a surviving spouse who is not a qualified survivor of a pensioner who made an election under Subsection (a)(2) of this section receives a pension that is 50 percent of the reduced pension being received by the pensioner at the time of death.
(i)  A pensioner and surviving spouse receiving a death benefit payable under this section are eligible for adjustments under Sections 6.12 and 6.13 of this article, if the pensioner or surviving spouse, as applicable, is otherwise entitled to those adjustments, except that in each case the adjustment shall be calculated so that the total pension or death benefit paid is reduced by the same percentage the pensioner's pension is otherwise reduced under this section.
(j)  A pensioner and surviving spouse receiving a death benefit payable under this section are not entitled to the minimum benefits provided under Section 6.10A, 6.10B, or 6.11 of this article.
(k)  A surviving spouse receiving a death benefit payable under this section is not entitled to the special death benefit provided under Section 6.09 of this article.
(l)  During a period in which there are two or more qualified survivors of a member who has made a joint and survivor annuity election under this section, the spousal benefit will be divided among the eligible survivors under Section 6.07 or 6.08 of this article, as applicable.
(m)  A child's death benefit elected under Subsection (a)(3) of this section is treated the same way as a death benefit to a child who is a qualified survivor, except that it is based on the actuarially reduced pension.