§ 4501 — Definitions

§ 4501. Definitions. In this article:\n (a) "Fraternal benefit society" means, except as used in section four\nthousand five hundred twenty-three of this article, an incorporated\nsociety, order or supreme lodge, without capital stock, formed,\norganized and carried on solely for the benefit of its members and of\ntheir beneficiaries and not for profit, operating on a lodge system and\nhaving a representative form of government, which obligates itself for\nthe payment of insurance or annuity benefits or both in accordance with\nthis article.\n (b) "Society" means any fraternal benefit society.\n (c) "Authorized fraternal benefit society" or "authorized society"\nmeans any society authorized to do business in this state.\n (d) "Lodge system" means a system of organization of a society\nproviding for a supreme governing body and subordinate lodges, by\nwhatever names known, into which members are elected, initiated or\nadmitted in accordance with the society's constitution, by-laws, rules\nand regulations, which subordinate lodges shall be required by such\nconstitution or by-laws to hold regular or stated meetings at least once\nin each month, and either to conduct prescribed ritualistic ceremonies\nfor the initiation of new members or to carry on other altruistic,\neducational, fraternal or recreational activities.\n (e) "Representative form of government" means a form of government\nproviding by its constitution and by-laws, for:\n (1) a supreme governing body composed of representatives elected\neither by the members or by delegates chosen directly or indirectly by\nthe members, together with such other members as may be prescribed by\nits constitution or by-laws;\n (2) the representatives, other than officers, directors and salaried\nemployees, elected directly or indirectly by the members to be a\nmajority of the supreme governing body and to have not less than\ntwo-thirds of the votes therein nor less than the votes required to\namend its articles of incorporation, constitution and by-laws;\n (3) the meetings of the supreme governing body and the election of\nofficers, representatives or delegates to be held as often as once in\nevery four calendar years;\n (4) each insurance member to be eligible for election to the supreme\ngoverning body;\n (5) a board of directors or other executive body, charged with the\nresponsibility for managing the society's affairs between meetings of\nits supreme governing body, subject to control by its supreme governing\nbody, having powers and duties delegated to it in the constitution and\nby-laws and required to hold regular meetings at least twice in each\ncalendar year; and\n (6) no voting by proxy at any meeting of the supreme governing body.\n (f) "Supreme governing body" means a body by whatever name known,\norganized and functioning as provided in paragraphs one, two, three,\nfour and six of subsection (e) hereof to exercise supreme direction of a\nsociety pursuant to the provisions of law and the society's constitution\nand by-laws. Such name may include, "supreme legislative body" and\n"supreme legislative convention", and "board of directors" by a society\nhaving an executive body with a different name.\n (g) "Board of directors" means an executive body by whatever name\nknown, charged as provided in paragraph five of subsection (e) hereof.\n (h) "Life insurance benefits" means those payable under any form of\nlife insurance including endowment insurance.\n (i) "Accidental death benefits" means those payable on death caused by\naccident or accidental means.\n (j) "Accidental injury benefits" means those payable as a result of\nbodily injury caused by accident or accidental means.\n (k) "Sickness benefits" means those payable as a result of temporary,\ntotal or partial disability due to sickness or bodily infirmity.\n (l) "Annuity benefits" means periodical payments either immediate or\ndeferred and continuing during the life or lives of an annuitant or\nannuitants or during the life or lives of an annuitant or annuitants and\nfor a term of years certain, in an amount which shall not exceed fifteen\nthousand dollars annually.\n (m) "Total and permanent disability benefits" means those payable by\nthe society in the case of total and permanent disability as the result\nof either disease or accident and which are contained in or supplemental\nto any life insurance or annuity obligation of the society in amounts\nwhich do not exceed the greater of five hundred dollars a month or the\namounts permitted by subsection (e) of section three thousand two\nhundred fifteen of this chapter.\n (n) "Monument or tombstone expense benefits" means those payable to\nreimburse the cost of monuments or tombstones to the memory of deceased\nmembers.\n (o) "Hospital expense and surgical and medical expense benefits" means\nthose payable for such expenses due to sickness, bodily infirmity or\naccidental injury.\n (p) "Disability income insurance benefits" means periodic payments,\nweekly or monthly, for a specified period during the continuance of\ndisability resulting from sickness or injury, in amounts which do not\nexceed one thousand two hundred fifty dollars a month.\n (q) "Long term care benefits" means those payable to members, or upon\napplication of a member for a member's family and dependents as\nauthorized in section one thousand one hundred seventeen of this\nchapter.\n