N.Y. Retirement & Social Security Law § 152: Definitions

§ 152. Definitions. The following words and phrases, as used in this

article, shall have the following meanings, unless a different meaning

is plainly required by the context:

1. "Beneficiary" shall mean a person who is receiving a benefit from a

public retirement system of the state or who has met all the conditions

precedent for the actual receipt of a benefit from a public retirement

system of the state, and the monies are due and owing to such person by

the public retirement system of the state.

2. "Retired member" shall mean a person who is retired from and who is

receiving a retirement allowance from a public retirement system of the

state.

3. "Member" shall mean a member of any public retirement system of the

state.

4. "Head of the retirement system" shall mean the state comptroller,

with respect to the New York state and local employees' retirement

system and the New York state and local police and fire retirement

system, and the retirement board of the other public retirement systems

of the state.

5. "Public employee pension plan" shall mean any plan, fund, or

program which was heretofore or is hereafter established or maintained,

in whole or in part, by a public employer of the state, as the term

public employer is defined in article fourteen of the civil service law,

and administered by a public retirement system of the state, which

provides retirement income to employees or their beneficiaries.

6. "Public retirement system of the state" shall mean the New York

state and local employees' retirement system, New York state and local

police and fire retirement system, New York state teachers' retirement

system, New York city employees' retirement system, New York city

teachers' retirement system, New York city police pension fund, New York

city fire department pension fund and the New York city board of

education retirement system.

7. "Total accumulated plan benefits" shall mean an interest obtained

by a member in that part of a public employee pension plan which arises

from the member's continued service for a public employer based on

service to date.

8. "Vested pension benefit" shall mean an interest obtained by a

member in that part of a public employee pension plan which arises from

the member's continued service for a public employer and which would not

be forfeited under the terms and provisions of the plan if the member

were to terminate employment.