Employee Benefits
Newark City Special Death Benefits

CODE: 30-01-40-65:00 EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/01/90 REVISION DATE: 00/00/00 LAST REVIEWED: 12/20/04

PURPOSE: To set policy establishing a program to provide death benefits upon death prior to retirement on behalf of former municipal staff members of Martland Hospital who following the acquisition of Martland Hospital by the University have continued without interruption as staff members of the University and with respect to whom no death benefit is payable either under the Employees Retirement system of the City of Newark (C. 43:13-22.25) or (b) under the Public Employees Retirement System (C.43:15A-41;45;46;48;49).

RESPONSIBILITY: The Vice President for Human Resources is to ensure compliance with this policy.

POLICY:

The amount of the death benefit under this program shall not exceed an amount equal to the deceased staff member's annual salary at the time of their death, except that should the Employees Retirement System of the City of Newark in the future, provide any other death benefit with respect to any staff member of the University eligible for a death benefit under this policy, exclusive of return of contributions, the amount of said death benefit payable by the University shall be reduced by the amount of such other death benefit provided by the Newark Employees Retirement System.

All eligible staff members under this policy may designate a beneficiary and may from time to time change their designation by completing a Change of Beneficiary Form. Should there be no surviving designated beneficiary to receive all or any part of the death benefit at the time of death, the benefit or that portion of it not accruing to a designated beneficiary will be payable in the following order of precedent:

if neither of the aforementioned exist, to the child or children of the person, in equal shares, and descendants of deceased children by representation;

if none of the aforementioned exist, to the parents of such person, in equal shares or the survivor of them;

if none of the aforementioned exist, to the duly appointed executor or administrator of the estate of such person;

if none of the aforementioned exist, to other next of kin of such persons as may be determined by the Board of Trustees to be entitled under the laws of the domicile of such person at the time of his death.

UMDNJ reserves the right to establish reasonable rules of administration of this death benefit in accordance with the statutes. In situations where questions arise as to the most equitable treatment under this policy, UMDNJ shall generally be guided by the appropriate administrative rulings of the New Jersey Division of Pensions.

by direction of the President

Vice President for Human Resources