70.675.  Deferred allowance, requirements, option — contribution withdrawal, effect on credited service — death of former member prior to retirement, allowance payable to surviving spouse, when. — 1.  Should a member with five or more years of credited service cease to be a member, except by death or retirement, before attaining an age which is within five years of his or her minimum service retirement age, the member shall be entitled to a deferred allowance provided for in this section; provided, if the former member withdraws his or her accumulated contributions from the members deposit fund, for purposes of this section there shall be eliminated from credited service any membership service or prior service for which the member was required to make member contributions provided for in subsection 2 of section 70.705.  Such deferred allowance shall commence as of the first day of the calendar month next following the later of:

  (1)  The member's attainment of an age which is within five years of his or her minimum service retirement age; or

  (2)  The date the member's written application therefor is received by the board, in accordance with the provisions of subsection 2 of this section.  The member shall have the right to elect an option provided for in section 70.660 at the time of filing such written application.

  2.  Except as provided in subsection 5 of this section, a former member otherwise entitled to a deferred allowance shall be entitled to a deferred allowance only if the former member lives to an age which is within five years of his or her minimum service retirement age and if written application therefor is received by the board from the former member not earlier than ninety days before his or her attainment of such age.  If such former member does not live to retirement or in the event the former member becomes employed in a position covered by the system before becoming a retirant or in the event such written application is not received by the board within the time limits specified, no benefits whatsoever shall be paid pursuant to the provisions of this section, except as provided in subsection 5 of this section.

  3.  A former member otherwise entitled to a deferred allowance shall be considered a member only for the purposes of subsection 4 of section 70.725.

  4.  If the deferred allowance commences prior to the date the former member reaches his or her minimum service retirement age, the allowance shall be a certain percent of the allowance otherwise provided for in this section.  Such percent shall be one hundred percent reduced by one-half of one percent multiplied by the number of months by which the former member's age at the date the allowance commences is younger than the former member's minimum service retirement age.

  5.  If a former member who: (1) is entitled to a deferred allowance pursuant to this section; and (2) does not receive a lump sum payment as provided in section 70.676, dies before his or her date of retirement, the applicable benefits, if any, provided in this subsection shall be paid.  The former member's surviving spouse, if any, to whom the former member was married for not less than two years immediately preceding the date of the former member's death shall receive an allowance computed in the same manner in all respects as if such former member had:

  (1)  Survived to the first day of the calendar month next following the day the former member would have attained his or her minimum service retirement age or if later, the first day of the calendar month next following the date of the former member's death;

  (2)  Retired on such day with an allowance for life based on his or her credited service and final average salary at the time of termination of membership;

  (3)  Elected option A provided for in section 70.660;

  (4)  Nominated such spouse as joint beneficiary under such option; and

  (5)  Died on such day after electing such option A.  

­­

­

The allowance payable to the surviving spouse shall commence as of the first day of the calendar month next following the day the former member would have attained his or her minimum service retirement age or, if later, the first day of the calendar month next following the date of the former member's death.  This subsection shall apply to any person who is a former member on or after August 28, 1998.