Subd. 1. Definitions.

ANNUITY FORM.

1. (a) "Annuity form" means the payment procedure and duration of a retirement annuity or disability benefit available to a member of a public pension fund, based on the period over which a retirement annuity or disability benefit is payable, determined by the number of persons to whom the retirement annuity or disability benefit is payable, and the amount of the retirement annuity or disability benefit which is payable to each person.
2. (b) "Joint and survivor optional annuity" means an optional annuity form which provides a retirement annuity or disability benefit to a retired member and the spouse of the member on a joint basis during the lifetime of the retired member and all or a portion of the original retirement annuity or disability benefit amount to the surviving spouse in the event of the death of the retired member.
3. (c) "Optional annuity form" means an annuity form which is elected by a member and is not provided automatically as the standard annuity form of the public pension plan.
4. (d) "Public pension plan" means a public pension plan as defined under section 356.63, paragraph (b) .
5. (e) "Retirement annuity" means a series of monthly payments to which a former or retired member of a public pension fund is entitled due to attaining a specified age and acquiring credit for a specified period of service, which includes a retirement annuity, retirement allowance, or service pension.
6. (f) "Disability benefit" means a series of monthly payments to which a former or disabled member of a public pension fund is entitled due to a physical or mental inability to engage in specified employment.

As used in this section, each of the following terms shall have the meaning given.

Subd. 2. Provision of information on annuity forms.

Every public pension plan which provides for an annuity form other than a single life retirement annuity as an option which can be elected by an active, disabled, or retiring member shall provide as a part of, or accompanying the annuity application form, a written statement summarizing the optional annuity forms which are available, a general indication of the consequences of selecting one annuity form over another, a calculation of the actuarial reduction in the amount of the retirement annuity which would be required for each optional annuity form, and the procedure to be followed to obtain more information from the public pension fund concerning the optional annuity forms provided by the plan.

Subd. 3. Requirement of notice to member's spouse.

1. (a) Except as specified in paragraph

   (c), if a public pension plan provides optional retirement annuity forms which include a joint and survivor optional retirement annuity form potentially applicable to the surviving spouse of a member, the executive director of the public pension plan shall send a copy of the written statement required by subdivision 2 to the spouse of the member before the member's election of a retirement annuity.

2. (b) Following the election of a retirement annuity by the member, a copy of the completed retirement annuity application and retirement annuity beneficiary form, if applicable, must be sent by the executive director of the public pension plan to the spouse of the retiring member. A signed acknowledgment must be required from the spouse confirming receipt of a copy of the completed retirement annuity application and retirement annuity beneficiary form, unless the spouse's signature confirming the receipt is on the annuity application form. If the required signed acknowledgment is not received from the spouse within 30 days, the executive director of the public pension plan must send another copy of the completed retirement annuity application and retirement annuity beneficiary form, if applicable, to the spouse by certified mail with restricted delivery.
3. (c) For the Teachers Retirement Association, the statement to the spouse that is required under paragraph (a) must be sent before or upon the member's election of an annuity.