State Public Pensions in South Carolina
PEBA administers the South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS) and the Police Officers Retirement System (PORS) for public educators and state and local government workers, along with the smaller GARS and JSRS systems and the defined-contribution State ORP. Survivor and death benefits depend on whether the member was active or retired, the payment option the retiree elected, and whether the employer elected the optional incidental death benefit coverage.
Administering agency
South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA)
Authority
S.C. Code Title 9 (Ch. 1 SCRS, Ch. 11 PORS); 9-1-1770 and 9-11-120 (preretirement death benefit; first responder death benefit); 9-11-140 (PORS Accidental Death Benefit Program)
State Public Pensions in South Carolina: key facts
- Systems
- South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS) and Police Officers Retirement System (PORS) are the two large systems. PEBA also administers the Retirement System for Members of the General Assembly (GARS), the Retirement System for Judges and Solicitors (JSRS), and the State Optional Retirement Program (State ORP), a defined-contribution plan whose death benefit is simply the account balance remaining with the service provider.
- Retiree death
- What a beneficiary receives depends on the payment option elected: Option A pays the remaining balance of member contributions and interest as a lump sum; Option B continues the same monthly benefit for life; Option C continues one-half of the benefit for life.
- Active member death
- The beneficiary of a member who dies in service receives a refund of the member's contributions plus interest, regardless of the member's age or service credit. A lifetime monthly benefit may be chosen instead where the member was Class Two with at least 5 years of earned service, or Class Three with at least 8 years, and either had 15 or more years of total service or had reached age 60 (SCRS) or 55 (PORS) at death.
- Incidental death benefit
- Paid only where the employer elected this coverage — it is not automatic. For an active member with at least one year of service credit (waived where death results from a job-related injury), and for a working retiree, the payment equals the member's current annual earnable compensation. For a non-working retiree it is set by service credit and differs by system: SCRS pays $2,000 for 10 to 19 years, $4,000 for 20 to 27 years, and $6,000 for 28 or more years; PORS pays $4,000 at 20 to 24 years (Class Two) or 20 to 26 years (Class Three) and $6,000 at 25 or more years (Class Two) or 27 or more years (Class Three); GARS and JSRS pay $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000 at 10 to 19, 20 to 29, and 30 or more years.
- First responder death benefit
- Where the employer participates in the incidental death benefit program, the beneficiary of a first responder (police, fire, EMS) who dies from an on-duty injury by external accident or violence receives a one-time lump sum of $75,000, increased to $150,000 where the member is killed in the line of duty by another person's unlawful and intentional act or by an accident in fresh pursuit, in response to a believed emergency, at a traffic-accident scene, or while enforcing a traffic law. Effective May 11, 2023.
- PORS Accidental Death Program
- Where a PORS employer elected this separate coverage and a member dies from an injury by external accident or violence incurred in the actual performance of duty, the surviving spouse receives a pension of 50% of the member's compensation at the time of death, for life. If there is no spouse, or the spouse dies before the youngest child turns 18, it is divided among the children until each turns 18; failing that it is paid to surviving parents for life. If none of those survive, nothing is payable under this program.
- Member services
- 803-737-6800 or 888-260-9430, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Member Access at online.retirement.sc.gov; 202 Arbor Lake Drive, Columbia, SC 29223.
Governing law: S.C. Code Title 9 (Ch. 1 SCRS, Ch. 11 PORS); 9-1-1770 and 9-11-120 (preretirement death benefit; first responder death benefit); 9-11-140 (PORS Accidental Death Benefit Program)
Steps to take when someone dies
- Identify which system the deceased belonged to — SCRS, PORS, GARS, JSRS, or State ORP.
- Report the death. PEBA directs the family of a deceased active employee, or of a retiree of an optional employer or charter school that participates in insurance only, to contact the deceased's employer; the family of a retiree of a state agency, higher education institution, public school district, or charter school participating in both insurance and retirement contacts PEBA directly.
- Confirm the beneficiary designation on file and the payment option the retiree elected (A, B, or C).
- Ask whether the employer participates in incidental death benefit coverage, and — for a PORS member — in the Accidental Death Program, since both are elective.
- File the survivor or death-benefit claim with the documents PEBA requires.
- For survivors continuing State Health Plan, dental, or vision coverage, complete a Survivor Notice of Election within 31 days of the date of death.
South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA)
Phone: 803-737-6800
Visit the agency website →Frequently asked questions
Contact the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) at 803-737-6800 or 888-260-9430. PEBA administers the South Carolina Retirement System and the Police Officers Retirement System and handles survivor and death-benefit claims.
It depends on the payment option the retiree elected. Option A pays any remaining member-contribution balance as a lump sum, Option B continues the same monthly benefit to the beneficiary for life, and Option C continues one-half of the benefit for life. A period-certain option may also have been elected.
If the member's employer participates in incidental death benefit coverage, PEBA pays the designated beneficiary an amount equal to the member's current annual earnable compensation, provided the member had at least one year of earned service unless the death resulted from a job-related injury. A beneficiary may instead, or in addition, be entitled to a refund of the member's contributions and interest or to a monthly survivor benefit; contact PEBA to confirm what is payable.
Yes, where the employer participates in the incidental death benefit program. Under S.C. Code 9-1-1770(D) and 9-11-120(E), the beneficiary of a first responder who dies from an on-duty injury by external accident or violence receives a one-time lump sum of $75,000, which increases to $150,000 where the member is killed in the line of duty by another person's unlawful and intentional act or by an accident in fresh pursuit, responding to a believed emergency, at a traffic-accident scene, or while enforcing a traffic law. A PORS employer may also have elected the separate Accidental Death Program, which pays the surviving spouse a lifetime pension of 50% of the member's compensation.
Sources
Data sourced from State Public Pensions in South Carolina primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA)
Authority
S.C. Code Title 9 (Ch. 1 SCRS, Ch. 11 PORS); 9-1-1770 and 9-11-120 (preretirement death benefit; first responder death benefit); 9-11-140 (PORS Accidental Death Benefit Program)