Survivor Benefits
SFERS provides a financial safety net to your survivor(s) in the event of your death. As a member of a Safety Plan, the type and amount of the benefit your survivor receives is dependent upon the following factors:
- your cause of death (work-related or non-work-related);
- QSR status on the date of your death (qualified to retire for service or not); and
- your survivor’s status on the date of your death (qualified survivor or beneficiary)
Safety Survivor Benefits
Survivor plans detailed below apply to the following plans: New Plan Tier III – A8.604 (Fire) & A8.605 (Police), New Plan Tier II – A8.601 (Fire) & A8.602 (Police), and New Plan Tier I – A8.597 (Police) & A8.598 (Fire).
| Circumstance | Survivor Benefits |
|---|---|
| Work-related Cause – Qualified to Retire for Service on Date of Death | Paid to Qualified Survivor: Monthly continuation allowance equal to the service retirement payable had you retired for service on the date of death; minimum 50% (adjusted at QSR – when you would have had 25 years of service, if applicable) |
| Work-related Cause – Not Qualified to Retire for Service on Date of Death | Paid to Qualified Survivor: Monthly continuation allowance equal to your compensation on the date of death payable until the date you would have qualified for service retirement with 25 years of service, then the continuation benefit is adjusted to service retirement calculated as if you had continued to work without interruption in the rank held at retirement. |
| Work-related Cause – No Qualified Survivor | Paid to Designated Beneficiary(ies) or Estate: Lump-sum benefit equal to your account balance plus 6 months of salary |
| Non-work-related Cause – Qualified to Retire for Service on Date of Death | Paid to Qualified Survivor: Monthly continuation allowance equal to 50% of the service retirement payable if you had retired for service on the date of death |
| Non-work-related Cause – Not Qualified to Retire for Service on Date of Death | Paid to Qualified Survivor: If you had at least 25 years of credited service but had not attained age 50 on the date of death, a monthly continuation allowance equal to 50% of the service retirement, calculated as if you had retired on the date of death and attained age 50. If you had at least 10 years but less than 25 years of credited service but had not attained age 50 on the date of death, a monthly continuation allowance equal to the non-job-related disability retirement payable on the date of death |
| Non-work-related Cause – Differential Continuation Benefit | Paid to Non-Qualified Survivor: If total continuation benefits paid (described above) are less than the lump-sum benefit equal to your account balance plus 6 months of salary, the difference is paid in priority order to remarried spouse/domestic partner, surviving children, or your estate |
| Non-work-related Cause – Less than 10 years credited service or no Qualified Survivor | Paid to Designated Beneficiary(ies) or Estate: Lump-sum benefit equal to your account balance plus 6 months of salary |
Work-Related Cause
If You Die Due to a Work-Related Cause Before You Retire
- If you are qualified to retire for service on the date of your death, SFERS will pay a monthly continuation allowance to a qualified survivor equal to 100% of the monthly retirement benefit you would have received had you retired on the date of your death.
- If you are not qualified to retire for service on the date of your death, SFERS will pay a monthly continuation allowance to a qualified survivor equal to your compensation at the time of your death. This continuation allowance will be paid until the date you would have qualified for a service retirement (age 50 and 25 years of service), at which time, the monthly continuation allowance will be recalculated to be equal to 100% of the monthly retirement benefit you would have received had you retired for service on that date.
- If you are not qualified to retire for service on the date of your death and you have no qualified survivor, SFERS will pay a lump-sum benefit equal to your account balance (contributions and interest), plus six months salary to your designated beneficiary(ies), or your estate.
Non-Work-Related Cause
If You Die Due to a Non-Work-Related Cause Before You Retire:
- If you are qualified to retire for service on the date of your death, SFERS will pay a monthly continuation allowance to a qualified survivor equal to 50% of the monthly retirement benefit you would have received had you retired on the date of your death.
- Should you die before age 50 but with 25 or more years of credited service, SFERS will pay a monthly continuation allowance to a qualified survivor equal to 50% of the monthly retirement benefit you would have received had you been age 50 and retired on the date of your death.
- Should you die with 10 or more years of credited service regardless of age, SFERS will pay a monthly continuation allowance to a qualified survivor equal to the monthly ordinary disability benefit you would have been entitled to on the day before your death. The minimum monthly allowance is no less than 33 1/3% of your final pensionable compensation at the time of your death.
- Should you die with less than 10 years of credited service, or you do not have a qualified survivor, SFERS will pay a lump-sum benefit equal to your account balance (contributions and interest), plus six months of salary to your designated beneficiary(ies), or your estate
- If we pay a continuation benefit and the total is less than the lump-sum account balance plus six months of salary, the difference is paid in priority order to a remarried spouse/domestic partner, surviving children, or your estate.
Qualified Survivor
A continuation allowance is paid to your qualified survivor only for the period that the survivor remains qualified. For an eligible spouse/domestic partner that is until they marry or establish a new domestic partnership, and for an unmarried child under age 18, the earlier of reaching age 18 or marrying.
Who is a Qualified Survivor?
A Qualified Survivor is an Eligible Spouse/Domestic Partner who was your spouse/domestic partner on the date of injury or onset of illness that resulted in death, or was your spouse/domestic partner continuously for at least one full year immediately prior to your death.
SFERS recognizes domestic partnerships that have been established by filing a Declaration of Domestic Partnership with the San Francisco County Clerk, domestic partnerships registered with the State of California or other California jurisdictions, as well as domestic partnerships or similar legal relationships formed and recognized in other jurisdictions.
SFERS does not recognize domestic partnerships certified only by a notary.
Or
- Unmarried child/children under age 18 or;
- Dependent child/children of any age or;
- Dependent parent(s)
Beneficiary
It’s important to designate a beneficiary for your SFERS benefits and to keep your beneficiary(ies) up to date. To designate a beneficiary, or to update your beneficiary after a life event such as marriage, divorce, or the birth/adoption of a child, log in to mySFERS member portal and add/edit beneficiary(ies) from your Beneficiary Dashboard.
Or, you can download and complete a SFERS Designation of Beneficiary Form and mail your completed form to SFERS or drop it off in our lock box located on the 6th floor of our building. Please have the completed form notarized before submitting it to our office.
What is a Beneficiary?
A person or persons, a trust, or an estate designated to receive a lump sum benefit upon your death.
For a detailed description of survivor benefits, refer to “Death prior to Retirement” in your Summary of Key Plan Provisions.
