Title 22

SECTION 19.10-5

19.10-5 Reduced annuity with additional survivor annuity to spouse or former spouse.

§ 19.10-5 Reduced annuity with additional survivor annuity to spouse or former spouse.

(a) General. This section provides an opportunity for a participant or former participant who has provided a regular survivor annuity to a former spouse to provide a survivor annuity to a second spouse or to another former spouse. The additional survivor annuity provided under this section generally is more costly than the regular survivor annuity because the participant is required to pay it's full cost by deduction from salary or annuity, or otherwise, as specified in paragraph (e) of this section. The participant must also be in normal health for his/her age and pass a physical examination prescribed by the Secretary of State (M/MED) to be eligible to provide an additional survivor annuity under this section.

(b) Limitation on amount. Neither the total amount of additional survivor annuity or annuities under this section provided by any participant or former participant nor any combination of regular or additional survivor annuities for any one surviving spouse or former spouse of a principal may exceed 55 percent of the principal's full annuity counting any supplemental annuity or recomputation of annuity because of recall service. An additional survivor annuity provided by any principal shall be further limited to the amount that can be provided by a monthly payment which is not greater than the principal's net annuity described in § 19.6-2(b). The amount of any additional survivor annuity provided by a spousal agreement effective prior to the principal's retirement, shall be reduced as necessary by PER/ER/RET after the principal's retirement to comply with this limitation. Any amount paid by a participant for the portion of additional survivor annuity cancelled pursuant to this paragraph shall be treated as an additional lump sum payment under paragraph (e) of this section and used to increase the amount of the additional annuity. A participant who separates from the Service without entitlement to any annuity is not entitled to provide an additional survivor annuity. Payments in such a case would be discontinued as described in paragraph (e) of this section.

(c) Procedures to grant additional survivor annuity. A participant or former participant who has provided a regular survivor annuity to a former spouse who wishes to provide, or who is ordered by a court to provide an additional survivor annuity under this section to a spouse or another former spouse, shall do so by filing a spousal agreement with PER/ER/RET on a form acceptable to PER/ER/RET. Such an agreement will be irrevocable when accepted by PER/ER/RET unless the beneficiary of the additional survivor annuity is subsequently made a beneficiary of a regular survivor annuity in equal amount. Within the limitations specified in paragraph (b) of this section, an individual may be made the beneficiary of both a regular and an additional survivor annuity. A spousal agreement granting an additional survivor annuity to a spouse will remain valid in the event the marriage is dissolved and the spouse qualifies as a former spouse under the definition § 19.2(k).

(d) Eligibility for additional survivor annuity. A spouse or former spouse must meet the same criteria (§ 19.2(v) or § 19.2(k)) to be eligible for an additional survivor annuity as a spouse or former spouse must meet to be eligible for a regular survivor annuity. Payment of a special survivor annuity will commence on the day after the participant dies and shall terminate on the last day of the month before death or remarriage before attaining age 60. If it is discontinued because of remarriage, it will not be resumed.

(e) Payment for additional survivor annuity. (1) Payment for an additional survivor annuity will commence on the first of the month following the effective date of a spousal agreement provising the additional survivor annuity. The effective date will be the date of acceptance of the spousal agreement by PER/ER-RET (upon a finding that the agreement conforms to the law and regulations) or such later date as may be specified in the agreement. No payment will be made to a beneficiary under the agreement if the principal dies before its effective date. Accordingly, in order to give protection to a beneficiary during active service, the agreement must be made effective, and payment commence, during active service. Payment will be made by a participant or annuitant by deduction from salary or annuity. Payment will be made by a former participant while awaiting commencement of a deferred annuity by direct payment to the Department, Office of Financial Operations (M/COMP/FO). Payments not received by the due date may, at the option of M/COMP/FO and with notice to the principal and the beneficiary be collected from the principal's lump-sum account. Amounts so collected must be repaid by the principal with interest compounded at 10 percent annually to prevent exhaustion of the lump-sum account. If the lump-sum account does become exhausted, any rights to the lump-sum payment under § 19.13 and survivorship rights under this paragraph will expire on that date. If the principal dies with an amount owing, it shall be collected by set off from the survivor annuity or lump-sum account.

(2) Monthly payments may be reduced or eliminated by direct payment to M/COMP/FO by any participant or former participant under terms mutually agreed upon by the participant and PER/ER/RET. Minimum monthly payments will be based upon actuarial tables prescribed from time to time by the Director General of the Foreign Service (M/DGP) with the advice of the Secretary of Treasury. Such tables will be calculated so that the present value of all payments equal the present value of the survivor annuity. If new tables are prescribed, they would be applicable to additional survivor annuities provided by spousal agreements that become effective on or after the effective date of the new tables. Additional survivor annuities will be increased by regular cost-of-living adjustments from their commencing dates only when so specified at the option of the participant or former participant in a spousal agreement. Monthly payments will be higher if cost-of-living adjustments are provided.

(3) In the event of the disqualification of a beneficiary for an additional survivor annuity because of death, remarriage prior to age 60 or divorce from the principal and failure to meet the definition of “former spouse,” or in the event of an authorized reduction or cancellation of an election for an additional survivor annuity, the monthly payment for such discontinued or reduced additional survivor annuity will be discontinued or reduced, as appropriate, effective at the beginning of the first month following termination or reduction of the benefit. Except as otherwise specified in paragraph (b) of this section, any amount paid for such discontinued or reduced benefit by a participant or former participant in excess of the minimum monthly payments described above shall be refunded to the participant or former participant with interest calculated at the annual rate used in the last evaluation of the System or at such higher rate as may be authorized by M/COMP/FO as will not cause a loss to the Fund. The following table illustrates the minimum monthly payments schedule in effect February 15, 1981.

(4) Reduction from annuity to a principal to pay for an additional survivor annuity will be in the nature of an allotment and will not affect computations of cost-of-living adjustments to the principal.

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