Retirees – Survivor Benefits FAQ

Upon the death of a PERA member, the spouse, beneficiary or the personal representative of the estate of the member should contact PERA. An application for a benefit or refund will be mailed, along with a letter explaining the survivor benefit options. PERA will require a copy of the death certificate before any payments can be made.  If monthly benefits are available, proof of member’s age and evidence of any name change for the member or survivor may also be required.

PERA provides survivors of active members with several benefit options depending on the type of membership held by the participant. If monthly benefits are not payable, the designated beneficiary(ies) is entitled to a refund of the member contributions plus interest.

Information on survivor benefits can be found in your Plan Handbook. Handbooks are available in the Member Handbook page of this site.

If, when applying for a pension, the member named an individual to receive a death benefit, that person is eligible for a continuation of all or a portion of the member’s monthly benefit. However, if the retiree chose a single-life benefit there is no continuation of the pension, but there may be a portion of his or her contributions remaining that would go to the beneficiaries PERA has on file for the member’s account. This is normally true if the member had been receiving a pension for less than two years.