SECTIONS 50977-50979 - California Statutes

GOVERNMENT CODE

SECTION 50977-50979

50977. If the transfer of the Volunteer Firefighters Length of
Service Award System from the Board of Administration of the Public
Employees' Retirement System to the board of the California State
Fire Employees Welfare Benefit Corporation is not completed on or
before March 1, 2008, the Board of Administration of the Public
Employees' Retirement System shall terminate the award system and
disburse the assets in the award system in the following order of
priority:
(a) An amount sufficient to pay reasonable administrative expenses
shall be retained by the Board of Administration of the Public
Employees' Retirement System.
(b) (1) Except as described in paragraph (2), an amount sufficient
to pay current award recipients or members and former members who
have satisfied, on or before March 1, 2008, all the requirements to
be eligible to receive an award, a one-time lump-sum payment in an
amount equal to the actuarial present value of the monthly benefit
paid to an award recipient. This amount to be paid shall be in lieu
of an ongoing monthly benefit previously provided by the Board of
Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System pursuant to
Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 50950) of Part 1 of Division 1
of Title 5, as added by Chapter 1145 of the Statutes of 1979, and as
that chapter read on December 31, 2007.
(2) If the award system does not contain assets sufficient to pay
the amounts described in paragraph (1), the current award recipients
or members and former members shall be paid a pro rata share of the
remaining award system assets. The pro rata share for a current award
recipient, member, or former member described in paragraph (1) shall
be calculated as a ratio of the amount calculated for an individual
payment under paragraph (1) as that amount bears to the total of all
payments under paragraph (1).
(c) (1) Except as described in paragraph (2), if a member has
earned service credit necessary to receive a service award but the
member has not attained 60 years of age on or before March 1, 2008,
he or she shall be paid a one-time lump-sum payment in an amount
equal to the actuarial present value of the monthly benefit that
would have been paid to an award recipient at 60 years of age. This
amount to be paid shall be in lieu of an ongoing monthly benefit
previously provided by the Board of Administration of the Public
Employees' Retirement System pursuant to Chapter 4.5 (commencing with
Section 50950) of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5, as added by
Chapter 1145 of the Statutes of 1979, and as that chapter read on
December 31, 2007.
(2) If the award system does not contain assets sufficient to pay
the amounts described in paragraph (1), a member described in
paragraph (1) shall be paid a pro rata share of the remaining award
system assets. The pro rata share for that member shall be calculated
as a ratio of the amount calculated for an individual payment under
paragraph (1) as that amount bears to the total of all payments under
paragraph (1).
(d) From any balance of the assets after the amounts described in
subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, each department shall receive a
pro rata share of the remaining award system assets. The pro rata
share for each department shall be calculated as a ratio of the
accumulated contributions of that department, less the distributions
made to pay the awards of that department's volunteers as described
in this section, as that amount bears to the total of all payments
under this subdivision.

50978. For purposes of this chapter, if the Board of Administration
of the Public Employees' Retirement System transfers the data and
files that are necessary to effect the transfer of and relate to
members and beneficiaries who participate in the award system to the
board of the California State Fire Employees Welfare Benefit
Corporation, the transfer of the award system shall be deemed
complete on the date that the Board of Administration of the Public
Employees' Retirement System transfers the assets of the award system
to the board of the California State Fire Employees Welfare Benefit
Corporation.

50979. This chapter shall become operative on March 1, 2008.