• Automatic designation of spouse – If you die before your effective retirement date as a member of the Pension Plan, your spouse at the time of your death will automatically be your beneficiary unless you named a different beneficiary after your most recent marriage. If you die after you retire, your most recently designated beneficiary receives any benefits payable, regardless of any life changes that may have occurred since you retired (such as divorce, remarriage, or death of a beneficiary).
  • Death in the line of duty – If you die in the line of duty as a Pension Plan or Investment Plan member in the Special Risk Class on or after July 1, 2002, your surviving spouse eligible for a lifetime monthly benefit equal to 100 percent of your contracted salary, regardless of your length of service or whether you named someone else as your beneficiary. If you are not married and have a dependent child or children at the time of your death or if you are married and your spouse dies before your youngest child reaches age 18, the benefit may continue until the child reaches age 25 if the child is unmarried and enrolled in school full time.
    • If you die in the line of duty as a Pension Plan or Investment Plan member in a class other than the Special Risk Class on or after July 1, 2002, your surviving spouse is eligible for a lifetime monthly benefit equal to half of your contracted salary,
      regardless of your length of service or whether you named someone else as your beneficiary. If you are not married and have a dependent child or children at the time of your death or if you are married and your spouse dies before your youngest child reaches age 18, the benefit will be paid on behalf of your
      unmarried children until the youngest child reaches age 18.
    • This provision also applies if you are disabled in the line of duty as a member of the Pension Plan and are approved for disability retirement but die before your effective retirement date as a result of your illness or injury. If you are approved for disability retirement as a member of the Investment Plan but die before your disability retirement effective date, survivor benefits will be paid to your beneficiary as provided in section 121.591(3), Florida Statutes.
  • Changing your joint annuitant – When you retire under disability retirement and select an Option 3 or 4 benefit, you may change your joint annuitant up to two times after retirement. To make this change, you must file a notarized Change of Joint Annuitant Form, Form JA-1, with the division and notify, in writing, your surviving former joint annuitant of the change.  Changing your joint annuitant causes your benefit to be recalculated.
  • Joint annuitant nullification – If you retire under disability retirement, select Option 3 or 4, and name your spouse as your beneficiary (your joint annuitant) but you subsequently divorce, you may nullify your designation of your former spouse as your joint annuitant (unless a Qualified Domestic Relations Order prevents you from taking such action). To do this, you must submit to the division a notarized Joint Annuitant Nullification Form, Form JA-NUL, and a copy of your divorce papers. After nullification, your former spouse is considered by law to have died before you and, if you’ve chosen Option 4, your benefit payments will be reduced by one-third. You may not reverse a joint annuitant nullification, but you may a new joint annuitant designation, which causes your benefit to be recalculated. Nullification forms are available from the division.

Reference: Sections 121.021(28) and (46), 121.091(6)-(8) and (14), and 121.591(2) and (4), Florida Statutes
Rules 60S-4.008, 4.010, and 4.011, Florida Administrative Code.

When you nullify or otherwise change a joint annuitant designation after you have retired, your benefit will be recalculated. This nearly always results in reduced benefits. Disability Retirees of the Investment Plan-In some cases, an amount equal to the remaining vested Investment Plan account balance may be payable.

Rule 60S-4.007, Florida Administrative Code.