Section 8: Death of a Member or Retiree 

Employers should advise NYSTRS when a member or retiree dies. The information you provide will help facilitate payment of any death benefit which may be due the individual's beneficiary or estate. It is not necessary to report the death of a teacher who is not a System member.

The Notification of Death of Member or Retiree (RET-62) form has been designed to enable employers to report information to NYSTRS. It should be submitted as soon as possible after you become aware of the member or retiree's death. The portion of the form marked "Additional Information" should be used to identify the next of kin's name, address and relationship to the deceased. A supply of these forms will be included in our spring mailing to employers. To request this or other System forms be mailed to you, call us at (800) 348-7298, Ext. 6220.

If the deceased individual may be eligible for a death benefit, we may send you the Death Benefit Final Report (RET-17B) form to complete and return to NYSTRS. The form is self-explanatory and requests information not yet available through the employer reporting process. The definition of such items as "Annual Base Salary Pay Rate," "Gross Pay," "Base Salary Pay," etc. are the same as those for the employer reporting process and can be found in Section 2 or Section 3 of this manual. Your cooperation in completing this form quickly and accurately will continue to ensure the timely payment of benefits.

Questions regarding these matters should be directed to the System at the following numbers: Active Members (800) 348-7298, Ext. 6110 | Retired Members (800) 348-7298, Ext. 6140 (447-2900 if calling from the Albany area).

Updated 8/07.