Judges’ Retirement System II: beneficiaries.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on funding or restrictions on who can be chosen as a beneficiary.

Judges' Retirement System: Beneficiaries

The bill allows judges to designate someone other than their spouse as a beneficiary for retirement and survivor benefits, with some adjustments.

What This Bill Does

• Allows judges who choose an optional retirement plan to name another person besides their spouse as the recipient of payments after they die.
• Provides survivor benefits to a designated beneficiary instead of just the judge's spouse.
• Removes the requirement that the judge must have worked for at least 20 years before allowing a designated beneficiary to receive certain allowances.

Who It Names or Affects

• Judges who are part of the Judges’ Retirement System II
• People chosen by judges as beneficiaries

Terms To Know

Beneficiary

A person chosen to receive money or benefits after someone dies.

Survivor Benefits

Money given to a spouse or family member when a judge who was part of the retirement system passes away.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how these changes will be funded.
• It is unclear if there are restrictions on who can be chosen as a beneficiary.

Official Summary Text

AB 1844, as amended, Pacheco.
Judges’ Retirement System II: beneficiaries.
Existing law establishes the Judges’ Retirement System II, which is administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees’ Retirement System, and provides pension and other benefits to judges who are members. Existing law authorizes a judge to elect one of 4 optional retirement payment plans in lieu of receiving the maximum retirement allowance for their life alone. The optional plans provide for a reduced allowance payable to the judge for life and a payment or allowance payable to their surviving spouse, as specified.
This bill would authorize a judge who elects one of those optional retirement payment plans to designate a beneficiary other than their spouse to receive the payment or allowance after the judge’s death, subject to the community property rights of the judge’s spouse.
Existing law provides certain survivor benefits to a surviving spouse upon the death of a judge, depending on whether the judge was eligible to retire at death, not eligible to retire, or had already retired.
This bill would provide those survivor benefits to a surviving designated beneficiary.
Existing law authorizes the surviving spouse of a judge who died in office, had attained the minimum age for service retirement, with a minimum of 20 years of service, and met other requirements to receive an allowance that is equal to the amount that the judge would have received if the judge had been retired from service on the date of death, as specified.
This bill would authorize the surviving designated beneficiary to receive that allowance and would remove the requirement that the judge have had a minimum of 20 years of service.
This bill would make related changes.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF