The following are the retirement
(survivor) options for police officers, and they are essentially the
same for firefighters. The text was copied from Chapter 294 of the
Lansing city ordinances.
Retirement Options
A police officer member, within 30
days prior to retirement, may select one of the following four
survivor election options by making an election on a form agreed
upon by the collective bargaining unit for which the employee is a
member and the City:
Option I. Under this option,
the member at retirement shall receive the full retirement allowance
as provided in subsection(k)(1)A. and upon the retiree's death, his
or her surviving spouse, who was his or her legally married spouse
at the time of retirement, shall receive a retirement allowance
equal to 50 percent of the retiree's retirement allowance until the
spouse's death.
Option II. Under this option,
the member at retirement shall receive
93 percent of the
full retirement allowance as provided in subsection (k)(1)A. and
upon the retiree's death, his or her surviving spouse, who was his
or her legally married spouse at the time of retirement, shall
receive a retirement allowance equal to
75 percent of the
retiree's retirement allowance until the spouse's death.
Option III. Under this option,
the member at retirement shall receive
86 percent of the
full retirement allowance as provided in subsection (k)(1)A. and
upon the retiree's death, his or her surviving spouse, who was his
or her legally married spouse at the time of retirement, shall
receive a retirement allowance equal to
86 percent of the
retiree's retirement allowance until the spouse's death.
Option IV. Non-spousal
beneficiary. A member may select a reduced pension naming a parent,
brother, sister, child or grandchild as beneficiary. The
reduced pension shall
be actuarially determined based on the age of the member and the
beneficiary at the time of retirement, and shall not be actuarially
more costly than Option I. For this option to be made and take
effect, the member who is married must first have filed with the
Board a voluntary written spousal relinquishment of beneficiary
agreement on a form approved by the Board that has been duly and
voluntarily executed by the member's spouse.