Rule 145-1-71 | Withdrawal of benefit application.
(A) Except as provided in paragraph (F) of this rule, a member or contributor of the public employees retirement system may withdraw an application for retirement, disability, or annuity payments pursuant to section 145.384 or 145.64 of the Revised Code by either of the following methods:
(1) Returning to the retirement system not later than thirty days after issuance of the initial benefit payment, all uncashed payments, along with a written request over the member's or retirant's signature to withdraw the application;
(2) Remitting to the retirement system a personal check or money order repaying the benefit payment(s) transmitted by or on behalf of the retirement system to the member's or retirant's financial institution not later than thirty days after the institution's receipt of the initial benefit payment, along with a written request over the member's or retirant's signature to withdraw the application.
(B) Except as provided in division (C)(1) of section 145.45 of the Revised Code or paragraph (F) of this rule, a beneficiary eligible for monthly benefits pursuant to division (A) or (B) of section 145.45 of the Revised Code may withdraw an application for those benefits by either of the following methods:
(1) Returning to the retirement system not later than thirty days after issuance of the initial benefit payment, all uncashed payments, along with a written request over the beneficiary's signature to withdraw the application and a completed application for a lump sum payment of the member's accumulated account;
(2) Remitting to the retirement system a personal check or money order repaying the benefit payments(s) transmitted by the retirement system to the beneficiary's financial institution, not later than thirty days after the institution's receipt of the initial benefit payment, along with a written request over the beneficiary's signature to withdraw the application and a completed application for a lump sum payment of the member's accumulated account.
(C) If a member participating in the member-directed or combined plan, or the member's beneficiary, withdraws an application as provided in this rule and all or any portion of the member's individual defined contribution account is used to pay the benefit, the member or the beneficiary is not entitled to any investment gains or losses on the amount that was used to pay the benefit for the period beginning on the date the retirement system converts the units in the account for payment and ending on the date the account is reestablished by the retirement system as provided in this rule. The amount used to pay the benefit as provided in this rule shall be credited to the member's individual defined contribution account and invested in the same OPERS investment options and in the same proportion as the account existed immediately prior to the payment.
(D) Any non-vested amounts that were forfeited by a member participating in the member-directed plan or the member's beneficiary who withdraws a retirement application under this rule shall be restored to the member's individual defined contribution account or retiree medical account, as defined in rule 145-4-01 of the Administrative Code. Investment gains or losses shall not be applied to the amounts for the period that the amounts were not in the member's individual defined contribution account.
(E)
(1) If a member or contributor participating in the traditional pension plan withdraws an application as provided in this rule, the application of the member or contributor for an additional annuity payment under section 145.64 of the Revised Code, if any, shall also be withdrawn.
(2) All payments issued pursuant to section 145.64 of the Revised Code shall be returned to the retirement system in accordance with paragraph (A) of this rule.
(3) A member is not entitled to any investment gains or losses on the additional annuity account for the period beginning on the date the retirement system converts the units in the account for payment and ending on the date the account is reestablished by the retirement system. The member's additional annuity account shall be credited based on the daily value of the OPERS stable value fund on the date the account is reestablished by the retirement system.
(F) A member, contributor, or beneficiary may not withdraw an application as described in this rule if any of the following have occurred:
(1) The retirement system has made a distribution from the health reimbursement arrangement, as defined in rule 145-4-27 of the Administrative Code, or retiree medical account, as defined in rule 145-4-01 of the Administrative Code, for an eligible benefit recipient or eligible dependent.
(2) The retirement system has paid a portion of the benefit to satisfy a court order.
(3) The retirement system has made a distribution in accordance with paragraph (E) of rule 145-1-21 of the Administrative Code.
(4) In the case of an application for an additional annuity payment under section 145.64 of the Revised Code, the member, contributor, or beneficiary fails to also withdraw the individual's application for retirement, disability, or annuity payments under section 145.384 of the Revised Code.
Last updated January 2, 2024 at 10:00 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 145.32, 145.33, 145.331, 145.332, 145.35, 145.36, 145.361, 145.37, 145.384, 145.45, 145.46
Five Year Review Date: 9/30/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 6/19/1974, 8/6/1990, 3/30/1992, 10/9/2000, 1/1/2003, 1/1/2004 (Emer.), 2/16/2004, 12/24/2004, 1/1/2006, 4/6/2007 (Emer.), 7/1/2007, 1/12/2008, 1/7/2013 (Emer.), 3/24/2013, 7/1/2016 (Emer.), 9/1/2016, 1/1/2020, 1/1/2022