Judges: RICHARD P. IEYOUB
Filed Date: 11/21/2002
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 4/17/2021
Dear Mr. Owens:
You advise that some years ago an employee of your office retired having selected the third retirement option available to him under R.S.
§ 1423. Mode of payment; options; effective date
A. Upon application for normal retirement, any participant may elect to receive his benefit in a retirement allowance payable throughout life, or he or she may elect at that time to receive the actuarial equivalent of his retirement allowance in a reduced retirement payable throughout life with the following options:
OPTION 3 Upon the member's death, one-half of his or her reduced retirement allowance shall be continued throughout the life of and paid to his or her surviving spouse, upon written designation by the member duly acknowledged and filed with the board of trustees at the time of his retirement. (Emphasis added).
After this employee retired, he and his wife were divorced. The wife remarried, while the retired employee never remarried. Your specific question is: May his ex-spouse still draw the one-half retirement benefit allowed by the third option of R.S.
We conclude that the ex-spouse is not a "surviving spouse" for purposes of R.S.
However, you state in your letter to this office that "the retirement issue should have been resolved at the time of the divorce and the community property settlement". Note that it is well settled in Louisiana that a former spouse is entitled to a pro rata share of the retirement benefits of a member spouse to the extent the retirement benefits were attributable to the former community. See Bordes vs.Bordes,
Should you have other questions in which we may provide assistance, please contact this office.
Very truly yours,
RICHARD P. IEYOUB ATTORNEY GENERAL
BY: __________________________ KERRY L. KILPATRICK ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL
KLK:ams
Date Released: November 21, 2002