Death of a Member
Information for:
All Funds
Page 1 January 2024 Fact Sheet #10
When the death of a member of one of the New
Jersey State-administered retirement systems oc-
curs, the member’s family or survivors should noti-
fy the New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benets
(NJDPB) at (609) 292-7524 and provide the following
information:
• The full name of the deceased;
• The deceased’s Social Security, pension mem-
bership, or retirement number;
• The date of death; and
• The name, mailing address, and telephone num-
ber of the person handling the deceased’s af-
fairs.
Once a member’s death is reported, the NJDPB re-
views the member’s account to determine what ben-
ets, if any, are due. The NJDPB informs the named
beneciary or beneciaries by letter of the benets
payable and sends the necessary claim forms.
The processing time for paying a claim depends en-
tirely upon when the NJDPB receives the following
items from the beneciary:
• A certied death certicate;
• All claim forms, properly completed; and
• Any uncashed pension checks sent to a de-
ceased retiree (any monies due will be reissued
to the beneciaries or the estate).
DEATH BENEFITS
Each New Jersey State-administered retirement
system has separate laws governing survivor bene-
ts. Survivor benets are subject to dierent factors
based on the member’s employment or retirement
status, years of service, life insurance, etc. The ini-
tial letter from the NJDPB will specify exactly what
amounts are payable to the beneciary.
Active Members
Most members of a New Jersey State-administered
retirement system are covered by group life insur-
ance. If the deceased was an actively employed
member of the retirement system at the time of
death, and depending on the pension fund and the
circumstances of the member’s death, the benecia-
ry(ies) will receive the life insurance and either a re-
turn of the contributions made to the retirement sys-
tem (Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS)*
and Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF)), or
a survivor’s pension payable to a surviving spouse,
civil union partner, or same-sex domestic partner
(Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS),
State Police Retirement System (SPRS), and Judi-
cial Retirement System (JRS)). Before any benet
can be calculated, the employer must submit the
Certication of Service and Final Salary — Death
Claim (also known as a P-29). This form indicates
recent salary and employment status.
Note: Employers can submit this information online
using the Employer Pensions and Benets Informa-
tion Connection (EPIC).
Retired Members
If the member was retired, group life insurance is in
eect only if the member had group life insurance
coverage while in active membership and retired with
at least 10 years of pension membership credit or on
a Disability Retirement. Depending upon the retire-
ment system and options selected by the member at
retirement, there may be a monthly pension allow-
ance or return of the member’s undistributed pension
contributions.
For more information on survivor benets, each
retirement system has a member guidebook
that explains the benets in detail. The guide-
books for all New Jersey State-administered re-
tirement systems can be found on our website at:
www.nj.gov/treasury/pensions
HEALTH BENEFITS
Active Members
If the member was employed at the time of death
and was covering dependents under the employer’s
health plan, the eligible dependents can continue to
participate in the group coverage for up to 36 months,
provided they have no coverage of their own. This
*A spouse/partner of an active member of the Workers’ Compensation Judges Part of the PERS is entitled to a survivor’s pension.
Fact Sheet #10 January 2024 Page 2
Death of a Member
This fact sheet is a summary and not intended to provide all information.
Although every attempt at accuracy is made, it cannot be guaranteed.
continuation of coverage is oered under the provi-
sions of the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) legislation and
is obtained through the deceased’s employer. De-
pendents should contact the employer’s benets ad-
ministrator for more information.
If the member was in the PFRS, SPRS, JRS, or the
Workers’ Compensation Judges Part of the PERS
and enrolled in the State Health Benets Program
(SHBP) as an active employee, surviving depen-
dents who receive a monthly pension allowance will
be entitled to continue coverage under the Retired
Group of the SHBP as long as the employer contin-
ues to participate in the SHBP.
If the member was in the PFRS or SPRS, surviving
dependents who receive a monthly Accidental Death
(in the line of duty) pension allowance will be entitled
to coverage under the Retired Group of the SHBP, or
the employer’s health plan as per N.J.S.A. 43:16A-
10.
Retired Members
If the member was retired at the time of death and
was covering eligible dependents under the SHBP
or School Employees’ Health Benets Program
(SEHBP), the eligible dependent spouse/partner will
receive a letter with instructions on continuing cov-
erage. If the member had health insurance through
another insurer, contact that insurer about continuing
coverage.
For more information about benet coverage under
the SHBP or SEHBP, see the Summary Program
Description, which can be found on our website.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
FOR ALL MEMBERS
There are things you can do now to help those who
will be called upon to take over your aairs after your
death:
• Keep your retirement system membership re-
cords, your membership and/or retirement num-
ber, and a record of your date of birth with your
other important papers. Make sure those who
you’ve chosen to settle your aairs know where
these records are kept.
• Keep your beneciary designations current. Re-
view your beneciaries every time you have a
change in your family, such as a birth, death,
marriage or civil union, divorce, etc.
Updating Your Beneciary Designation
Active members and retirees who are unsure of their
beneciary designations may obtain information
online using the Member Benets Online System
(MBOS). You must be registered with MBOS. To be-
gin the process, visit our website.
If you wish to change your beneciary designation,
you can safely do so using MBOS.
This fact sheet has been produced and distributed by:
New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benets
P.O. Box 295, Trenton, NJ 08625-0295
(609) 292-7524
For the hearing impaired: TRS 711 (609) 292-6683
www.nj.gov/treasury/pensions
