Texas Administrative Code › Title 34 - PUBLIC FINANCE › Part 6 - TEXAS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM › Chapter 121 - PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE REGARDING CLAIMS › Section 121.5 - Forms and Applications for Benefits, or Asserting Other Claims

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) General. Any person who asserts any claim
				to any right or benefit under the Act shall file written application with the
				director of the system at the office of the system in Austin. Pursuant to
				§§855.102 and 855.201 of the Act, the board authorizes the director
				of the system to approve all forms required by the Act or otherwise promulgated
				by the director or his designee(s) for use in the administration of benefits or
				other operations of the system. Any form approved by the director shall satisfy
				any requirement of the Act that a form be approved or prescribed by the board.
(b) Form, content, and signature
				of applications.
(1) Official forms for
				applications for certain benefits. Official forms for use in applying for
				service retirement benefits, for disability retirement benefits, and for refund
				of accumulated contributions on terminations prior to retirement are available
				at and may be obtained without charge from the office of the director of the
				system, in Austin, upon written request; normally, such forms are also
				available at, and can be obtained from, the director of personnel of the
				participating city by which the member is or was employed, or (if no such
				office is maintained) from the officer in charge of payrolls for such city; and
				such forms may also be available on the system's website (www.tmrs.com) or on
				electronic portals maintained by the system (e.g.,
				MyTMRS®). All applications which are the subject
				of any official form shall contain the information, statements, and supporting
				documents designated in that official form, and shall conform substantially to
				that official form.
(2) Contents
				of applications having no official form. All applications for which no official
				form is prescribed shall be typewritten or printed on white paper, 8-1/2 inches
				wide by 11 inches long, and shall contain:
(A) The name, the address, and the Social
				Security number or the system identification number of the party asserting the
				right or claim;
(B) A concise
				statement of the facts relied on as giving rise to the right or claim asserted;
				and
(C) A prayer stating the type
				of relief, action, or order desired by the applicant.
(3) Applications required to be signed. All
				applications for retirement, for retirement benefits, or any other application
				or form must be personally signed by the applicant, unless there is a legal
				guardian, or other representative authorized by law, for the applicant, in
				which event the application must be signed by the guardian or other lawfully
				authorized representative. The director may require satisfactory proof of the
				authority of a representative to act for the member.
(4) Confidential personal information in
				support of applications or other forms. Notwithstanding the requirements in any
				other rule in this Part 6 of Title 34 of the Texas Administrative Code, in the
				event confidential personal information, including, but not limited to a social
				security number, a taxpayer identification number, or the name or contact
				information for a minor, is required by a form or contained in documents filed
				with the system in support of the administration of benefits, and if such
				documents or forms must be filed in public records (including, but not limited
				to, court records) the director or the director's designee may accept the
				confidential personal information through an alternative method designed to
				protect the confidential personal information from public disclosure if the
				director or the director's designee reasonably determines the alternative
				method to be acceptable and provided that:
(A) the alternative method is authorized by
				state law or court rules or approved by a court order providing for the
				protection of the confidential personal information; and
(B) the confidential personal information is
				filed with TMRS.