Opinion ID: 1407729
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Purchase of life-insurance policy

Text: The district court required Gerhard to purchase the life insurance policy at issue if it is available to him, to cover lost benefits to [Roberta] in the event of [Gerhard's] death before actual retirement, only if PERS equivalent of a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) does not protect her interest, and only if such term insurance is not prohibitively expensive. We conclude that the district court abused its discretion by directing Gerhard to purchase the life insurance policy. First, Gerhard will be required to obtain, not maintain, an existing life insurance policy out of his own salary. The decree does not provide for a corresponding equal liability to Roberta. Accordingly, the district court's requirement that Gerhard expend money on the life insurance policy is an unequal distribution of debt. See NRS 125.150(1)(b). Second, if Gerhard dies before he retires from the NHP, Roberta may still be entitled to a portion of Gerhard's retirement from PERS. See NRS 286.6703. According to the rules governing the administration of a PERS retirement account, if a PERS member dies before the alternate payee begins receiving benefits and a refund of the contribution account is payable, the alternate payee will be eligible to receive benefits.