The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust

Death & Survivor Benefits After Retirement

These death and survivor benefits are available to families of participants who die after retirement.

Click here to see the benefits available to families of participants who die before retirement.

Topics Below

Spouse Lifetime Pension
Optional Lump Sum Death Benefit
Four-Year Certain Death Benefit
Child Survivor Benefit

Spouse Lifetime Pension

Eligibility
Your spouse receives this lifetime benefit if you choose an employee and spouse pension when you retire. This monthly benefit is payable to the person you are married to when you retire, starting on the first of the month following your death.

If You Have Recent Coverage at RETIREMENT
Benefit Amount. Your spouse receives 66 2/3% of the benefit you were receiving under the employee and spouse pension. If you choose the benefit adjustment option, your spouse’s benefit is calculated as if you chose the employee and spouse pension without the benefit adjustment option.

If You Do Not Have Recent Coverage at RETIREMENT
Benefit Amount. Your spouse receives 50% of the benefit you were receiving under the employee and spouse pension. If you choose the benefit adjustment option, your spouse’s benefit is calculated as if you chose the employee and spouse pension without the benefit adjustment option.

Optional Lump Sum Death Benefit

(Recent Coverage Not Required)

Eligibility. Your Plan beneficiary receives this optional lump sum death benefit only if you choose this benefit when you retire. You can choose this benefit whether or not you have recent coverage at retirement. You can also choose this benefit if you are married or single. If you are married, your spouse’s consent is required.

Benefit Amount. Your Plan beneficiary receives an amount equal to 12 times the monthly benefit you would receive if you choose the life only pension without benefit adjustment option. The benefit is payable in a lump sum.

If you choose the optional lump sum death benefit when you retire, your monthly benefit (and any benefits based on it) is reduced by a small percentage to provide for this death benefit.

You do not have to select the life only pension to choose this optional lump sum death benefit. You can choose any other available payment option instead. Click here for more information about this death benefit.

Four-Year Certain Death Benefit

(Recent Coverage Required)

Eligibility. Your Plan beneficiary receives this benefit only if you retire with recent coverage and choose a life only pension or life only pension with benefit adjustment option.

Recent Coverage Rule. If you die before retirement, you have recent coverage if you have at least 1,500 covered hours during the 60-month period ending with the month of your death.

If you die after retirement, you have recent coverage if you have at least 1,500 covered hours during the 60-month period ending just before your pension effective date.

If you have recent coverage when you complete 25 years of contributory service, it’s yours for good. You have locked in your recent coverage protection.

Click here for details about recent coverage.

If You Choose the Life Only Pension without Benefit Adjustment Option.

Benefit Amount. If you choose the life only pension without a benefit adjustment option, your Plan beneficiary receives the difference between the total benefit payments you actually receive before your death and 48 times your monthly life only pension. This benefit is payable in a lump sum. Click here to see how a Four-Year Certain Death Benefit is calculated.

If the total benefit payments you receive before your death are more than 48 times the amount of your life only pension, this four-year certain death benefit is not payable.

If You Choose the Life Only Pension with Benefit Adjustment Option

Benefit Amount. If you choose the life only pension with a benefit adjustment option, your Plan beneficiary receives the difference between the total benefit payments you actually receive before your death and 48 times your monthly benefit under the life only pension without benefit adjustment option. The benefit is payable in a lump sum. Click here for an example of how this benefit is calculated.

If the total benefit payments you receive before your death under the benefit adjustment option are more than 48 times what your monthly benefit would be under the life only pension, this four-year certain death benefit is not payable.

Child Survivor Benefit

(Recent Coverage Required)

Eligibility. The child survivor benefit is payable only if you have recent coverage at retirement. Your eligible children receive this monthly benefit following your death if you meet all of the requirements shown below:

You die after retirement and before your 65th birthday, and
You have recent coverage at retirement, and
You work at least 3,000 covered hours before retirement, and
Your survivor benefit rate is more than 21¢.

To be eligible, your child must be:

Under age 18 or have a disability that begins before age 18, and
Receiving Social Security death or disability benefits because of your death.

Benefit Amount. The amount of the child survivor benefit is figured from the chart (click the link below) based on your survivor benefit rate. This total monthly amount is divided equally among your eligible children. In most cases, the Plan pays each child’s benefit to the person receiving Social Security benefits for that child.

The survivor benefit for each child stops when that child becomes ineligible (usually age 18). After that, the survivor benefit for that child is divided among any remaining eligible children. Survivor benefits stop entirely when there no longer are any eligible children (usually when the youngest child reaches age 18).

Click here for a chart showing the amount of the child survivor benefit based on your survivor benefit rate.

Survivor Benefit Rate. Your Plan calculates your survivor benefit rate by dividing the total basic contributions paid for your covered employment after 1991 up to your pension effective date by your total covered hours after 1991 up to your pension effective date.

For participants who retired before January 1, 2000, the Plan calculates their survivor benefit rate by dividing the total basic contributions paid for their covered employment after 1986 up to their pension effective date by their total covered hours after 1986 up to their pension effective date.

Remember that total basic contributions used do not include PEER contributions.

Click here to view how a child survivor benefit is paid.