Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 59 - Administration, Funds, Accounts, General Provisions
Section 5953.1 - Approval of domestic relations orders

(a) Certification regarding members.--A domestic relations order pertaining to a member of the system shall be certified as an approved domestic relations order by the secretary of the board, or his designated representative, only if that order meets all of the following:
(1) Requires the system to provide any type or form of benefit or any option applicable to members already provided under this part.
(2) Requires the system to provide no more than the total amount of benefits than the member would otherwise receive (determined on the basis of actuarial value) unless increased benefits are paid to the member or alternate payee based upon cost-of-living increases or increases based on other than actuarial value.
(3) Specifies the amount or percentage of the member's benefits to be paid by the system to each such alternate payee or the manner in which such amount or percentage is to be determined.
(4) Specifies the retirement option to be selected by the member upon retirement or states that the member may select any retirement option offered by this part upon retirement.
(5) Specifies the name and last known mailing address, if any, of the member and the name and last known mailing address of each alternate payee covered by the order and states that it is the responsibility of each alternate payee to keep a current mailing address on file with the system.
(6) Does not grant an alternate payee any of the rights, options or privileges of a member under this part.
(7) Requires the member to execute an authorization allowing each alternate payee to monitor the member's compliance with the terms of the domestic relations order through access to information concerning the member maintained by the system. An authorization granted under this section shall be construed as an authorization for the alternate payee to receive information concerning the administration, calculation and payment of the alternate payee's share of the benefits payable under this part and not as an authorization to exercise the rights afforded to members or to obtain information which is not related to the administration, calculation and payment of the alternate payee's share of the benefits payable under this part.
(a.1) Certification regarding participants.--A domestic relations order pertaining to a participant shall be certified as an approved domestic relations order by the secretary of the board, or his designated representative, only if the order meets all of the following:
(1) Does not require the plan to provide a type or form of benefit or an option applicable to members of the system or participants in the plan.
(2) Does not require the segregation of the alternate payee's share of the participant's individual investment account into a subaccount or newly established individual account titled in the name of the alternate payee.
(3) Does not require the plan to recover or distribute any funds that were distributed to the participant or at the participant's direction prior to the approval of the domestic relations order by the secretary of the board or his designated representative.
(4) Requires the plan to pay to the alternate payee no more than the lesser of the vested amount of the participant's individual investment account specified by the domestic relations order or the vested amount of the participant's individual investment account as of the date of the transfer of the alternate payee's share to the alternate payee.
(5) States that the plan shall not be required to recoup or make good for losses in value to the participant's individual investment account incurred between the date of the valuation of the account used for equitable distribution purposes and the date of distribution to the alternate payee.
(6) Specifies the amount or percentage of the participant's individual investment account to be paid to the alternate payee and the date upon which the valuation is based.
(7) Specifies the name and last known mailing address, if any, of the participant and the name and last known mailing address of each alternate payee covered by the order and states that it is the responsibility of each alternate payee to keep a current mailing address on file with the plan.
(8) Does not grant an alternate payee the rights, privileges or options available to a participant.
(9) Requires the participant to execute an authorization allowing each alternate payee to monitor the participant's compliance with the terms of the domestic relations order through access to information concerning the participant maintained by the plan. An authorization granted under this section shall be construed as an authorization for the alternate payee to receive information concerning the participant that relates to the administration, calculation and payment of the alternate payee's share of the participant's account and not as an authorization to exercise the rights afforded to participants or obtain information that is not related to the administration, calculation and payment of the alternate payee's share of the participant's individual investment account.
(10) Requires the immediate distribution of the alternate payee's share of the participant's individual investment account, which may be made by direct payment, eligible rollover or trustee-to-trustee transfer to another eligible plan or qualified account owned by the alternate payee.
(11) In the case of a participant who is currently receiving distributions from the plan as of the date the domestic relations order is approved by the secretary of the board or his designated representative, may not order the board to pay the alternate payee more than the vested balance available in the participant's individual investment account as of the date the order is approved or require that distributions continue to the alternate payee after the death of the participant and final settlement of the participant's individual investment account.
(b) Determination by secretary.--Within a reasonable period after receipt of a domestic relations order, the secretary of the board, or his designated representative, shall determine whether the order is an approved domestic relations order and notify the member or participant and each alternate payee of this determination. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the exclusive remedy of any member, participant or alternate payee aggrieved by a decision of the secretary of the board, or his designated representative, shall be the right to an adjudication by the board under 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 5 Subch. A (relating to practice and procedure) with appeal therefrom to the Commonwealth Court under 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to judicial review) and 42 Pa.C.S. § 763(a)(1) (relating to direct appeals from government agencies).
(c) Other orders.--The requirements for approval identified in subsections (a) and (a.1) shall not apply to any domestic relations order which is an order for support as the term is defined at 23 Pa.C.S. § 4302 (relating to definitions) or an order for the enforcement of arrearages as provided in 23 Pa.C.S. § 3703 (relating to enforcement of arrearages). These orders shall be approved to the extent that they do not attach moneys in excess of the limits on attachments as established by the laws of the United States and this Commonwealth, require distributions of benefits in a manner that would violate the laws of the United States, any other state or this Commonwealth or require the distribution of funds for support or enforcement of arrearages against a participant who is not receiving distributions from the plan at the time the order is entered. These orders may be approved notwithstanding any other provision of this part or the plan that would require a distribution of accumulated employer defined contributions in the form of an annuity or to require the purchase of an annuity.
(d) Obligation discharged.--Only the requirements of this part and any regulations promulgated hereunder shall be used to govern the approval or disapproval of a domestic relations order. Therefore, if the secretary of the board, or his designated representative, acts in accordance with the provisions of this part and any promulgated regulations in approving or disapproving a domestic relations order, then the obligations of the system or the plan with respect to such approval or disapproval shall be discharged.
(Apr. 29, 1994, P.L.159, No.29, eff. 60 days; June 12, 2017, P.L.11, No.5, eff. imd.)

Cross References. Section 5953.1 is referred to in sections 5102, 5812, 5953.5 of this title.