Section 31452.61 - [Effective 1/1/2025] [Effective until 1/1/2028] Payments to deceased members; refund; report(a)(1) This section applies only to a retirement system in a county of the first class, as described in Sections 28020 and 28022.(2) The board shall comply with and give effect to a revocable written authorization signed by a retired member or beneficiary of a retired member entitled to a retirement allowance or benefit under this chapter or the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013, authorizing the treasurer or other entity authorized by the board to deliver the monthly warrant, check, or electronic fund transfer, for the retirement allowance or benefit to any specified bank, savings and loan institution, credit union, or prepaid account to be credited to the account of the retired member or survivor of a deceased retired member. That delivery is full discharge of the liability of the board to pay a monthly retirement allowance or benefit to the retired member or survivor of a deceased retired member.(3) For purposes of this subdivision, a prepaid account shall have the same meaning as in Section 1339.1 of the Unemployment Insurance Code and shall meet the applicable requirements of that section to qualify under this subdivision.(4) Prior to implementing the option to receive a retirement allowance or benefit by electronic fund transfer to a prepaid account pursuant to this section, the board shall develop a procedure to provide a retired member or beneficiary who elects the option all of the following: (A) Access to a monthly statement detailing the retirement allowance or benefit amount and any deductions thereof.(B) A reasonable process for the retired member or beneficiary to report and contest any error of the retirement allowance or benefit amount.(C) Contact information for a responsible system ombudsperson to assist the retired member or beneficiary in recovering any amounts deducted from the net retirement allowance or benefit amount once it has been deposited in the account, resulting from an error or by fraud.(b) Any payments directly deposited by electronic fund transfer following the date of death of a person who was entitled to receive a retirement allowance or benefit under this chapter or the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 shall be refunded to the retirement system.(c) In order to obtain information from a financial institution following the death of a retired member or the beneficiary of a retired member, as provided in subdivision (o) of Section 7480, the board may certify in writing to the financial institution that the retired member or the beneficiary of a retired member has died and that transfers to the account of the retired member or beneficiary of a retired member at the financial institution from the retirement system occurred after the date of death of the retired member or the beneficiary of a retired member.(d)(1) No later than November 30, 2027, a retirement system of a county of the first class shall submit a report to the Assembly Committee on Public Employment and Retirement and the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement that includes, but is not limited to, each of the following: (A) A description of the history and need for a prepaid account to be offered as an option to the retirement system's retired members or their beneficiaries.(B) A summary of the board of retirement system's processes and procedures to implement this section and Section 31590.2.(C) The total number of all retired members of the retirement system.(D) The total number of retired members of the retirement system who elected to have their retirement allowance under this chapter directly deposited into an account at a financial institution, as identified by the retired member.(E) The total number of retired members of the retirement system who elected to have their retirement allowance provided by bank draft, such as a check.(F) The total number of retired members of the retirement system who elected to have their retirement allowance deposited to a prepaid account, consistent with this section and Section 31590.2.(G) Information detailing all costs to the retirement system with respect to implementing and administering the option of a prepaid account, consistent with this section and Section 31590.2, respectively.(H) To the extent feasible, a summary of comments, feedback, or experiences received from a retired member who elected to have their retirement allowance deposited to a prepaid account card, consistent with this section and Section 31590.2, and with respect to obtaining, using, or the replacement of, a prepaid account card for their retirement allowance.(2) The report pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795.(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.Added by Stats 2024 ch 108 (AB 2474),s 2, eff. 1/1/2025.