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 1. If a member dies before he has received in retirement payments purchased by his contributions the amount he had contributed to the fund before his retirement, the balance shall be paid to his legal representatives or to such person as he shall nominate by written designation duly acknowledged and filed with the board. Option 2. Upon a member's death, 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 or her retirement. 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. Option 4. Some other benefit or benefits shall be paid either to the member or to such person or persons as he shall nominate provided, such other benefit or benefits together with the reduced retirement allowance shall be of equivalent actuarial value to his retirement allowance and approved by the board of trustees, at the election of the member, which benefit shall be in lieu of any other option provided herein. B. No option shall become effective until the date specified by the member in his or her application for retirement, and no selection of an option nor any change in the option selected shall be permitted after the application has been officially filed with the board. C. Should a member upon retirement select his or her spouse as his or her beneficiary under Option 2, Option 3, or Option 4, the actuarial equivalence and option reductions shall be based on the ages of the member and his or her beneficiary as of the member's sixtieth birthday. Should the member select a non-spousal beneficiary under Option 4, the actuarial equivalence and option reduction shall be based on the ages of the member and beneficiary as of the later of the date of the member's retirement or the member's sixtieth birthday. The actuarial equivalence and option reduction factors for Option 2 benefits payable upon the death of a member while the member is still in service shall be based on the ages of the member and his or her spouse as of the member's sixtieth birthday.