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If a member of the fire department shall die before or after retirement by reason of an injury received in, or illness caused by the performance of his duty, a death allowance, in lieu of any allowance payable under any other section of the Charter or by ordinance, on account of death resulting from injury received in or illness caused by the performance of duty, shall be paid, beginning on the date next following the date of death, to his surviving wife throughout her life or until her remarriage. If the member, at the time of death, was qualified for service retirement, but had not retired, the allowance payable shall be equal to the retirement allowance which the member would have received if he had been retired for service on the day of death, but such allowance shall not be less than 55 percent of the final compensation earnable by said member immediately preceding death. If death occurs prior to qualification for service retirement, the allowance payable shall be equal to the final compensation of said member at the date of death, until the date upon which said member would have qualified for service retirement, had he lived and rendered service without interruption in the rank held by him at death, and after said date the allowance payable shall be equal to the retirement allowance said member would have received if retired for service on said date, based on the final compensation he would have received immediately prior to said date, had he lived and rendered service as assumed, but such allowance shall not be less than 55 percent of such monthly final compensation. If he had retired prior to death, for service or for disability resulting from injury received in, or illness caused by the performance of duty, the allowance payable shall be equal to the retirement allowance of the member, except that if he was a member under Section 8.585 and retirement was for such disability, and if death occurred prior to qualification for the service retirement allowance, the allowance continued shall be reduced upon the date at which said member would have qualified for service retirement, in the same manner as it would have been reduced had the member not died. If there be no surviving wife entitled to an allowance hereunder, or if she dies or remarries before every child of such deceased member attains the age of 18 years, then the allowance which the surviving wife would have received had she lived and not remarried shall be paid to his child or children under said age, collectively, to continue until every such child dies or attains said age, provided that no child shall receive any allowance after marrying or attaining the age of 18 years. Should said member leave no surviving wife and no children under the age of 18 years, but leave a parent or parents dependent upon him for support, the parents so dependent shall collectively receive a monthly allowance equal to that which a surviving widow otherwise would have received, during such dependency. No allowance, however, shall be paid under this section to a surviving wife following the death of a member unless she was married to the member prior to the date of the injury or onset of the illness which results in death.
Upon the death of a member of the fire department resulting from any cause, other than an injury received in or illness caused by performance of duty,
(a) if his death occurred after qualification for service retirement, under Section 8.585-2, or after retirement for service or because of disability which resulted from any cause other than an injury received in, or illness caused by performance of duty, three-fourths of his retirement allowance to which the member would have been entitled if he had retired for service at the time of death of three-fourths of the retirement allowance as it was at his death, as the case may be, shall be continued throughout life or until marriage, to his surviving wife, or
(b) if his death occurred after the completion of at least 25 years of service in the aggregate but prior to the attainment of the age of 50 years, three-fourths of the retirement allowance to which he would have been entitled under Section 8.585-2 if he had attained the age of 50 years on the date of his death shall be continued throughout life or until remarriage to his surviving wife, or
(c) if his death occurred after retirement for disability by reason of injury received in or illness caused by performance of duty, his retirement allowance as it was at his death shall be continued throughout life or until remarriage, to his surviving wife, except that, if death occurred prior to qualification for service retirement allowance, the allowance continued shall be adjusted upon the date of which said member would have qualified for service retirement, in the same manner as it would have been adjusted had the member not died, or
(d) if his death occurred after completion of at least 10 years of service in the aggregate, computed as provided in Section 8.585-10, an allowance in an amount equal to the retirement allowance to which the member would have been entitled pursuant to Section 8.585-3 if he had retired on the date of death because of incapacity for performance of duty resulting from a cause other than bodily injury received in or illness caused by performance of duty shall be paid throughout life or until remarriage to his surviving wife. If there be no surviving wife entitled to an allowance hereunder, or if she dies or remarries before every child of such deceased member attains the age of 18 years, then the allowance which the surviving wife would have received had she lived and not remarried shall be paid to his child or children under said age, collectively, to continue until every such child dies or attains said age, provided that no child shall receive any allowance after marrying or attaining the age of 18 years. Should said member leave no surviving wife and no children under age of 18 years, but leave a child or children, regardless of age, dependent upon him for support because partially or totally disabled and unable to earn a livelihood, or a parent or parents dependent upon him for support, the child or children and the parents so dependent shall collectively receive a monthly allowance equal to that which a surviving wife otherwise would have received, during such dependency. No allowance, however, shall be paid under this section to a surviving wife unless she was married to the member prior to the date of the injury or onset of the illness which results in death if he had not retired, or unless she was married to the member at least one year prior to his death if he had retired.
As used in this section and Section 8.585-4, "surviving wife" shall mean and include a surviving spouse, and shall also mean and include a spouse who has remarried since the death of the member, but whose remarriage has been terminated by death, divorce or annulment within five years after the date of such remarriage and who has not thereafter again remarried.
The surviving wife, in the event of death of the member after qualification for but before service retirement, may elect before the first payment of the allowance, to receive the benefit provided in Section 8.585-8, in lieu of the allowance which otherwise would be continued to her under this section. If there be no surviving wife, the guardian of the eligible child or children may make such election, and if there be no such children, the dependent parent or parents may make such election. "Qualified for service retirement," "Qualification for service retirement" or "Qualified as to age and service for retirement," as used in this section and other sections to which persons who are members under Section 8.585 are subject, shall mean completion of 25 years of service and attainment of age 50, said service to be computed under Section 8.585-10.
Every retirement or death allowance payable to or on account of any member under Section 5.585 shall be increased or decreased as of July 1, 1990, and thereafter on the effective date of any legislation fixing the rates of compensation for firefighters under section 8.405 of this Charter by an amount equal to 50 percent of any increase or decrease, respectively, in the rate of remuneration attached to the rank and position upon which such retirement or death allowance was based; provided, however, that no allowance shall be reduced below the amount being received by a member or his beneficiary on June 30, 1976, or on the date such member or beneficiary began to receive the allowance, whichever is later.
That portion of any allowance payable because of the death or retirement of any member of the fire department which is provided by contributions of the City and County, shall be reduced in the manner fixed by the Board of Supervisors, by the amount of any benefits other than medical benefits, payable by the City and County to or on account of such person, under any workers' compensation law or any other general law and because of the injury or illness resulting in said death or retirement. Such portion which is paid because of death or retirement which resulted from injury received in or illness caused by performance of duty, shall be considered as in lieu of all benefits, other than medical benefits, payable to or on account of such person under such law and shall be in satisfaction and discharge of the obligation of the City and County to pay such benefits.
If a member of the fire department shall die, before retirement from causes other than an injury received in or illness caused by the performance of duty, or regardless of cause, if no allowance shall be payable under Section 8.585-4 or 8.585-5 preceding, a death benefit shall be paid to his estate or designated beneficiary, the amount of which and the conditions for the payment of which shall be determined in the manner prescribed by the Board of Supervisors for the death benefit of other members of the Retirement System. Upon the death of a member after retirement and regardless of the cause of death, a death benefit shall be paid to his estate or designated beneficiary the amount of which and the conditions for the payment of which shall be determined in the manner prescribed by the Board of Supervisors for the death benefit of other members of the Retirement System.
Should any member of the fire department cease to be employed as such a member, through any cause other than death or retirement or transfer to another office or department, all of his or her contributions, with interest credited thereon, shall be refunded to him or her subject to the conditions prescribed by the Board of Supervisors to govern similar terminations of employment of other members of the Retirement System. If he or she shall again become a member of the department, he or she shall redeposit in the retirement fund, the amount refunded to him or her. Should a member of the fire department become an employee of any other office or department, his or her accumulated contribution account shall be adjusted by payments to or from him or her as the case may be to make the accumulated contributions credited to him or her at the time of change, equal to the amount which would have been credited to him or her if he or she had been employed in said other office or department at the rate of compensation received by him or her in the fire department and he or she shall receive credit for service for which said contributions were made, according to the Charter section under which his or her membership in the Retirement System continues.
The following time shall be included in the computation of the service to be credited to a member of the Fire Department for the purposes of determining whether such member qualified for retirement and calculating benefits, excluding, however, any time, the contributions for which were withdrawn by said member upon termination of his service while he was a member under any other Charter section, and not redeposited upon re-entry into service:
(a) Time during and for which said member is entitled to receive compensation because of services as a member of the fire or police department.
(b) Time during which said member is entitled to receive compensation while a member of the Retirement System, because of service rendered in other offices and departments prior to July 1, 1949, provided that accumulated contributions on account of such service previously refunded, are redeposited, with interest from date of refund to date of redeposit, at times and in the manner fixed by the retirement board; and solely for purpose of determining qualification for retirement under Section 8.585-3 for disability not resulting from injury received in, or illness caused by performance of duty, time during which said member serves, after July 1, 1949, and receives compensation because of services rendered in other offices and departments.
(c) Time during which said member is absent from a status included in Subsections (a) and (b) next preceding, by reason of service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, or by reason of any other service included in Section 8.520 of the Charter, during any war in which the United States was or shall be engaged or during other national emergency, and for which said member contributed or contributes to the Retirement System or for which the City and County contributed or contributes on his account.
(d) Time during which said member was on Unpaid Parental Leave pursuant to Charter Section A8.523, and for which said member has purchased service credit in the Retirement System.
(Amended by Proposition G, 11/4/2008)
All payments provided for members under Section A8.585 shall be made from funds derived from the following sources, plus interest earned on said funds:
(a) The normal rate of contribution for each member under Section A8.585 shall be made from funds based on his or her age taken to the next lower complete quarter year, (1) at the date he or she became a member under Section A8.568, in the case of persons who are members under that section, or (2) on his or her age at the date he or she becomes a member under Section A8.585 in the case of persons who become members on or after July 1, 1975, without credit for service counted under Section A8.585-10. The age of entrance into the fire department shall be determined by deducting the member's service credited under Section A8.585-10 as rendered prior to the date upon which his or her age is based for determination of his or her rate of contribution according to the sentence next preceding, from said age. The normal rate of contribution of each such member, to be effective from the effective date of membership under Section A8.585, shall be such as, on the average for such member, will provide, assuming service without interruption, under Section A8.585-2, one-third of that portion of the service retirement allowance to which he or she would be entitled, without continuance to dependents, upon first qualifying as to age and service for retirement under that section, which is based on service rendered after the date upon which his or her age is based for determination of his or her rate of contribution according to the first sentence in this paragraph, and assuming the contribution to be made from that date. The normal rate of contribution, however, shall not exceed seven percent.
(b) The dependent contributions for each member under this section which shall be required of each member throughout his or her membership in addition to the normal contributions, and in the same manner as normal contributions, shall be such as, on the average for such member, will provide, assuming service without interruption under Section A8.585-2, and upon his first qualifying as to age and service for retirement under that section, one-third of the portion of his or her allowance, which is to be continued under Section A8.585-5 after his or her death and throughout the life of a surviving spouse whose age at said death is three years less than the age of said member. If, at the date of retirement for service or retirement for disability resulting from injury received in performance of duty, said member has no spouse who would qualify for the continuance of the allowance to them after the death of said member, or upon retirement for disability resulting from other causes, regardless of his or her marital conditions, the dependent contributions with accumulated interest thereon, shall be paid to him or her forthwith. The dependent rate of contribution, however, shall not exceed the difference between seven percent and the member's normal rate of contribution, and said dependent rate may be taken as a flat percentage of the member's normal rate, regardless of the age of qualification for service retirement.
(c) There shall be deducted from each payment of compensation made to a member under this Section, a sum determined by applying the member's rates of contribution to such compensation payment. The sum so deducted shall be paid forthwith to the Retirement System. Said contribution shall be credited to the individual account of the member from whose salary it was deducted, and the total of said contributions, together with interest credited thereon in the same manner as is prescribed by the Board of Supervisors for crediting interest to contributions of other members of the Retirement System, shall be applied to provide part of the retirement allowance granted to, or allowance granted on account of said member, or shall be paid to said member or his or her estate or beneficiary as provided in Sections A8.585-5, A8.585-6 and A8.585-8. The individual accounts of members who purchased service credit for Unpaid Parental Leave shall also include the amount paid by the member for said purchase, plus interest.
(d) Contributions based on time included in Subsections (a), (b) and (c) of Section A8.585-10, and deducted prior to July 1, 1975, from compensation of persons who become members under Section A8.585, and standing with interest thereon, to the credit of such members on the records of the Retirement System on said date, together with contributions made by such members pursuant to the provisions of Section A8.526 and standing with interest thereon to the credit of such members on the records of the Retirement System on said date, shall continue to be credited to the individual accounts of said members and shall be combined with and administered in the same manner as the contributions deducted after said date.
(f) The City and County shall contribute to the Retirement System such amounts as may be necessary, when added to the contributions referred to in the preceding paragraphs of this Section A8.585-11, to provide the benefits payable to members under Section A8.585. Such contributions of the City and County to provide the portion of the benefits hereunder which shall be based on service rendered by each member prior to the date upon which his or her age is based for determination of his or her rate of contribution in Subsection (a) of this Section A8.585-11, shall not be less during any fiscal year than the amount of such benefits paid during said year. Such contributions of the City and County to provide the portion of the benefits hereunder which shall be based on service rendered by respective members on and after the date stated in the preceding sentence, shall be made in annual installments, and the installment to be paid in any year shall be determined by the application of a percentage to the total compensation paid during said year, to persons who are members under Section A8.585, said percentage to be the ratio of the value on July 1, 1975, or at the later date of a periodical actuarial valuation and investigation into the experience under the system, of the benefits thereafter to be paid under this Section, from contributions of the City and County, less the amount of such contributions, and plus accumulated interest thereon, then held by said systems to provide said benefits on account of service rendered by respective members after the date stated in the sentence next preceding, to the value of said respective dates of salaries thereafter payable to said members. Said values shall be determined by the actuary, who shall take into account the interest which shall be earned on said contributions, the compensation experience of members and the probabilities of separation by all causes, of members from service before retirement and of death after retirement. Said percentage shall be changed only on the basis of said periodical actuarial valuation and investigation into the experience under the system. Said actuarial valuation shall be made every even-numbered year and said investigation into the experience under the system shall be every odd-numbered year.
(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section A8.585-11 or this Charter, beginning on July 1, 2012, the employee contribution rate set forth in Subsection (a) for each member, shall be increased or decreased each fiscal year based on the employer contribution rate for that fiscal year calculated by the Retirement System's actuary as prescribed in Subsection (f). Said increase or decrease in the employee contribution rate shall be calculated as a percentage of compensation, as set forth below:
Employer Contribution Rate | Change In Member Contribution |
Employer Contribution Rate | Change In Member Contribution |
0% | -6.0% |
.01%-1.0% | -5.0% |
1.01%-2.5% | -4.75% |
2.51%-4.0% | -4.5% |
4.01%-5.5% | -3.5% |
5.51%-7.0% | -3.0% |
7.01%-8.5% | -2.0% |
8.51%-10.0% | -1.5% |
10.01%-11.0% | -0.5% |
11.01%-12.0% | 0% |
12.01%-13.0% | 0.5% |
13.01%-15.0% | 1.5% |
15.01%-17.5% | 2.0% |
17.51%-20.0% | 3.0% |
20.01%-22.5% | 3.5% |
22.51%-25.0% | 4.5% |
25.01%-27.5% | 4.5% |
27.51%-30.0% | 4.75% |
30.01%-32.5% | 4.75% |
32.51%-35.0% | 5.0% |
Over 35.0% | 6.0% |
The employee contribution increases shall be deducted from each payment of compensation and shall be paid forthwith to the Retirement System. Said additional contribution shall be credited to the individual account of the member from whose salary it was deducted, and the total of said contributions, together with interest credited thereon in the same manner as is prescribed by the Board of Supervisors for crediting interest to contributions of other members of the Retirement System, shall be applied to provide part of the retirement allowance granted to, or allowance granted on account of said member under Section A8.585, or shall be paid to said member or his or her beneficiary or estate as provided in Sections A8.585-4, A8.585-5, and A8.585-8.
The percentage increase in member contributions shall reduce, by a corresponding percentage, the City and County contributions to the Retirement System otherwise required for that fiscal year.
The employee contribution decreases shall be paid by the City and County at the time each member is paid compensation, such that the Retirement System receives from the member and the City and County combined, a sum equal to seven percent of the member's compensation as provided in Subsection (a). The sums so received shall be credited to the individual accounts of the member on whose behalf the contributions are made.
The percentage increase in contributions by the City and County shall be in addition to the contributions required by the City and County under Subsection (f) for that fiscal year.
(h) To promote the stability of the Retirement System through a joint participation in the result of variations in the experience under mortality, investment and other contingencies the contributions of both members of the City and County held by the system to provide the benefits under this Section, shall be a part of the fund in which all other assets of said system are included. Nothing in this Section shall affect the obligations of the City and County to pay to the Retirement System any amounts which may or shall become due under the provisions of the Charter prior to July 1, 1975, and which are represented on said effective date, in the accounts of said system by debits against the City and County.
(Amended by Proposition G, 11/4/2008; Proposition C, Approved 11/8/2011)
Upon the completion of the years of service set forth in Section 8.585-2 as requisite to retirement, a member of the fire department shall be entitled to retire at any time thereafter in accordance with the provisions of said Section 8.585-2, and nothing shall deprive said member of said right.
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