South Carolina Code of Laws
Chapter 11 - Police Officers Retirement System
Section 9-11-110. Lump sum paid in event of death.

(1) Upon the death of any member prior to retirement, a lump-sum amount shall be paid to such person as he shall have nominated by written designation filed with the board, otherwise to his estate. If the member is in service at the time of his death, such lump-sum amount shall be equal to the sum of (a) and (b) below:
(a) his accumulated contributions, excluding any additional contributions, or one thousand dollars, whichever is greater; and
(b) his accumulated additional contributions. If the member is not in service at the time of his death, such lump-sum amount shall be the amount of his accumulated contributions.
(2) Upon the death of a member who did not select a survivor option or who selected a survivor option and the member's designated beneficiary predeceased the member, a lump sum amount must be paid to the member's designated beneficiary or the member's estate if total member contributions and accrued interest at the member's retirement exceed the sum of the retirement allowances paid to the member. Upon the death of a designated beneficiary selected under a survivor option, a lump sum amount must be paid to the beneficiary's estate if total member contributions and accrued interest at the member's retirement exceed the sum of the retirement allowances paid to the member and the member's beneficiary. The lump sum payment must be the total member contributions and accrued interest at retirement less the sum of the retirement allowances paid to the member or in the case of a survivor option, the total member contributions and accrued interest at retirement less the sum of the retirement allowances paid to the member and the member's designated beneficiary.
(3) A member who is not retired making the nomination provided under subsection (1) of this section also may name contingent beneficiaries in the same manner that primary beneficiaries are named. A contingent beneficiary has no rights under this chapter unless all primary beneficiaries nominated by the member have predeceased the member and the member's death occurs before retirement. In this instance, a contingent beneficiary is considered the member's beneficiary for purposes of subsection (1) of this section and Section 9-11-130, if applicable. A member may not name a contingent beneficiary with respect to death benefits provided under Section 9-11-120.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 61-341; 1962 (52) 1933; 1974 (58) 2032; 1977 Act No. 29 Section 1; 1984 Act No. 384, Section 6; 1995 Act No. 139, Section 5, eff June 28, 1995; 2000 Act No. 387, Part II, Section 67U, eff January 1, 2001; 2018 Act No. 149 (H.4869), Section 4, eff July 1, 2018; 2021 Act No. 62 (S.658), Section 5, eff May 17, 2021.
Effect of Amendment
2018 Act No. 149, Section 4, in (1), substituted "written designation filed with the board, otherwise to his estate" for "written designation, duly acknowledged and filed with the Board, otherwise to his estate", and made nonsubstantive changes.
2021 Act No. 62, Section 5, in (3), in the first sentence, substituted "A member who is not retired" for "An active contributing member" and "primary beneficiaries" for "beneficiaries", in the second sentence, substituted "primary beneficiaries" for "beneficiaries" and "before retirement" for "while in service", and added the fourth sentence.

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