A state or statewide retirement system must follow certain court orders about community property before paying retirement benefits or employee contributions, and it must pay the full amount to the listed recipient if no qualifying order is on file or if the spouse/former spouse has died.
SUBPART L. APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN LEGAL DETERMINATIONS §291. Community property interest A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any benefit or a return of employee contributions shall be subject to a temporary restraining order or injunction issued by a court in connection with an action which would result in a termination of the community property regime or partition of community assets and liabilities after such termination, which order or injunction involves a member or retiree of a state or statewide retirement system and his/her spouse or former spouse, and provides that community assets not be disbursed, disposed of, alienated, or otherwise incumbered, but only after a certified copy of such order or judgment is received by the retirement system. B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any benefit or a return of employee contributions shall be subject to a court order issued by a court upon or after termination of a community property regime, which order recognizes the community interest of a spouse or former spouse of a member or retiree of the retirement system and provides that a benefit or a return of employee contributions be divided by the retirement system with the spouse or former spouse, but only after a certified copy of such order has been received by the retirement system and has been determined by the retirement system to be in compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations governing the retirement system. C. Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 592, §2, eff. July 1, 1995. D. In connection with Subsection B of this Section, each state or statewide retirement system may promulgate rules establishing requirements with which a court order must comply. E. In those instances in which no certified copy of an injunction, temporary restraining order, or court order for division of a benefit or a return of employee contributions has been received and/or approved as required by this Section, a state or statewide retirement system shall pay the entire amount of any benefit or return of employee contributions to the member, retiree, designated beneficiary, survivor benefit recipient, or the estate of a deceased member and payment so made shall constitute a release of all accrued rights of every kind and nature against the retirement system, including but not limited to community property rights of a spouse or former spouse and any rights of an heir or legatee of such spouse or former spouse. F. In those instances in which the spouse or former spouse with whom a retirement system is to divide a benefit or a return of employee contributions under the provisions of this Section dies, the retirement system shall pay the entire amount of the benefit or return of employee contributions to the member, retiree, designated beneficiary, survivor benefit recipient, or the estate of a deceased member and payment so made shall constitute a release of all accrued rights of every kind and nature against the retirement system including but not limited to any rights of an heir or legatee of the spouse or former spouse. G. A state or statewide retirement system shall not pay any funds to any persons until such funds normally become payable as provided by the laws governing the retirement system. Acts 1989, No. 67, §1; Redesignated from R.S. 42:720.40 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 723, §1, eff. July 1, 1993; Acts 1995, No. 592, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 2012, No. 479, §1, eff. Dec. 10, 2012.