An important first step
In the event of the death of a pension member, the pension member's spouse, de facto partner, or other relative or representative should contact the administrator, Mercer, on 1300 652 113.
Once Mercer is notified of the death, it will issue a letter to the spouse or representative outlining the documents required to assess a spouse or de facto partner's eligibility to receive a benefit.
Documentation
State Super will request documentation to prove the relationship existed at the time the member retired and continued until the member's death.
In circumstances where the pension member was married at the time of the member's death, the essential documents required are a certified copy of the marriage certificate, and proof-of-identity documents for the spouse.
The de facto partner of a pension member who was not married at the time of death will generally be required to complete a statutory declaration and provide additional supporting documentation (such as statutory declarations from family members and non-family members) proving the relationship existed at the time the member retired, and continued until the member's death. Proof-of-identity documents for the de facto partner will also be required.
SASS pension member
When a SASS pension member who was receiving a pension with a reversionary spouse pension entitlement dies (all LGPF pensions, and those TRF and NRF pensions where the member elected to take a pension with a residual entitlement), an eligible spouse or de facto partner is eligible for a reversionary pension benefit entitlement.
A spouse pension may also be payable to the spouse of a SASS pension member who was a former member of the RSA.
For TRF, NRF and LGPF residual pensions, a pension is payable to the spouse or de facto partner for life at an annual rate equal to 62.5% of the annual rate of pension paid to the deceased pension member immediately before their death. This pension is adjusted in line with increases in the Consumer Price Index (All Groups Index) for Sydney from June quarter to June quarter.
Please refer to SASS Fact Sheet 12: SASS Pension - Your Questions Answered fact sheet for more information.