§ 43:15A-49 — Accidental death benefit.

49. a. Upon the death of a member in active service as a result of: (1) an accident met in the actual performance of duty at some definite time and place, or (2) service in the reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard in a federal active duty status, and not as the result of his willful negligence, an accidental death benefit shall be payable, if a report of the accident is filed in the office of the retirement system within 60 days next following the accident, but the board of trustees may waive such time limit, for a reasonable period, if in the judgment of the board the circumstances warrant such action. No such application shall be valid or acted upon unless it is filed in the office of the retirement system within five years of the date of such death. b. Upon the receipt of proper proofs of the death of a member on account of which an accidental death benefit is payable, there shall be paid to his widow or widower a pension of 50% of the compensation, upon which contributions by the member to the annuity savings fund were based in the last year of creditable service, for the use of herself or himself and the children of the deceased member, to continue during her or his widowhood; if there is no surviving widow or widower or in case the widow or widower dies or remarries, 20% of such compensation will be payable to one surviving child, 35% of such compensation to two surviving children in equal shares and if there be three or more children, 50% of such compensation will be payable to such children in equal shares. If there is no surviving widow, widower or child, 25% of the compensation upon which contributions by the member to the annuity savings fund were based in the last year of creditable service, will be payable to one surviving parent or 40% of such compensation will be payable to two surviving parents in equal shares. In the event of accidental death occurring in the first year of creditable service, the benefits payable pursuant to this subsection shall be computed at the annual rate of compensation. c. If there is no surviving widow, widower, child or parent, there shall be paid to any other beneficiary of the deceased member his accumulated deductions at the time of death. d. In no case shall the death benefit provided in subsection b. be less than that provided under subsection c. e. In addition to the foregoing benefits payable under subsection b. or c., there shall also be paid in one sum to such member's beneficiary an amount equal to one and one-half times the compensation upon which contributions by the member to the annuity savings fund were based in the last year of creditable service. L.1954, c.84, s.49; amended 1955, c.261, s.15; 1966, c.217, s.9; 1971, c.213, s.23; 1977, c.376, s.2; 1987, c.1, s.2; 2009, c.23, s.3.