State Public Pensions in Oregon

State Public Pensions in Oregon: key facts

Systems

Tier One (first PERS-covered employment on or before December 31, 1995), Tier Two (January 1, 1996 through August 28, 2003), and the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP) for members who started after August 28, 2003. Nearly every current member also has an Individual Account Program (IAP) account, which is a separate death benefit.

Pre-retirement death

A Tier One/Tier Two beneficiary chooses among a single lump-sum payment of the member account balance plus any employer-matching death benefit, a lifetime monthly benefit, or a lump sum plus a lifetime monthly benefit funded by the employer match. An OPSRP pre-retirement death benefit is paid to the member's spouse or to any other person who is constitutionally required to be treated in the same manner as a spouse; if the monthly amount would be under $200, it is paid as a single lump sum.

Optional Spouse Death Benefit

For Tier One and Tier Two members who die on or after January 1, 2024, a sole-beneficiary surviving spouse may elect a fourth option — the Optional Spouse Death Benefit, a monthly benefit for the spouse's lifetime, paid as a lump sum if the monthly amount would be under $200. The account must be eligible for the employer-matching death benefit, and PERS must receive the spouse's election no later than 60 days after the date of the estimate PERS sends the spouse.

Retiree death

The continuing benefit depends on the payment option the member elected at retirement.

No beneficiary on file

If PERS holds no valid Tier One/Tier Two beneficiary designation, ORS 238.390(2) sets the order: the member's surviving spouse (or a person constitutionally required to be treated the same as a spouse), then the surviving children in equal shares, then the member's estate. ORS 238A.410(3) applies the same order to the Individual Account Program.

Paying without full probate

When the benefit is payable to the member's estate, PERS pays the person who filed a simple estate affidavit under ORS 114.515, so long as the estate stays within the small-estate limits of ORS 114.510 after counting the PERS money (ORS 238.390(2)(b); ORS 238A.410(4) for the Individual Account Program). Full probate is not required.

Unclaimed member benefits

PERS publishes an Unclaimed Deceased Member Benefits List of deceased members whose benefits are still payable but whose beneficiaries it could not locate. Search it by name, then submit the Deceased Member Benefit Inquiry form by mail or fax; allow 30 days for an initial response. The Oregon Savings Growth Plan keeps a parallel list of deceased participants with a balance (888-320-7377, option 2).

Member services

888-320-7377 (TTY 503-603-7766), 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A photocopy of the long-form death certificate is requested to process benefits.

Governing law: ORS 238.390(2); ORS 238A.410(3)

Steps to take when someone dies

1. Call PERS Member Services at 888-320-7377 to report the death as soon as possible, so benefit payments stop — payments issued after the date of death must be returned, and beneficiaries may be invoiced for overpayments.
2. Provide the date of death, the city and state where the death occurred, a photocopy of the long-form death certificate, and the beneficiary's contact information.
3. Confirm the member's tier (Tier One, Tier Two, or OPSRP), whether an Individual Account Program balance exists, and the beneficiary designation on file.
4. Notify the PERS Health Insurance Program and the Oregon Savings Growth Plan separately if the member participated in either.
5. File the survivor or death-benefit claim with the documents PERS requires; processing typically takes one to two months.
6. If PERS has no record of a claim and you believe a relative left unclaimed benefits, search the Unclaimed Deceased Member Benefits List and submit the Deceased Member Benefit Inquiry form.

Frequently asked questions