Page 40 - Group Insurance and Retirement Benefit IC 83 E- Book

The 1935 Act also contained provisions whereby prospective pensioners were

empowered, within three months preceding retirement, to surrender a part, not exceeding
one-third, of their pension in favor of an approved dependant. The option became

effective only on proof that the pensioner was in good health at the time of retirement.
The amount of pension secured by the beneficiary depended on the relative ages of the

pensioner and the beneficiary, and the tables published by the Government Actuary for
this purpose are used as the standard for practically every similar scheme for

apportionment. A point of interest is that the beneficiary's benefit under virtually all other

schemes is a reversionary annuity (since tax difficulties arise otherwise in connation with
' 1921 Act' funds) but the benefit to a spouse under the 1935 Act may be an immediate or

a reversionary annuity. It may be noted that where a beneficiary receives an immediate

annuity the amount is doubled on the death of the officer pensioner.
(v) Miscellaneous developments which may be mentioned in passing govern the reckon

ability of service. Originally, only established civil service was pensionable; gradually
the scope was widened to include un established service (at half length), with

discretionary aggregation of discontinuous service, other public service not subject to the
Superannuation Acts, etc. The 1935 Act recognized approved local government and

teaching service for qualifying purposes only (since such service attracts normal benefits

under the appropriate schemes); and Regulations under the Superannuation
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1948, which are in course of issue will give complete

recognition to such service for all purposes, subject to payment of the appropriate transfer
values.

For civil servants who, by reason of their being required to possess 'professional or other
peculiar qualifications not ordinarily to be acquired in the public service', enter at late

ages, there was, at one stage, a power to add years, not exceeding 20, for calculation of

benefits. This has now been superseded
by a power to approve increased reckon ability, at the rate of eight-fifths of a year for

each year of actual service, for entrants after age 40, with a provision extending this

benefit in a modified form to entrants aged between 35 and 40.
(vi) The Superannuation Bill, 1949, includes two entirely new developments. The first

relates to the maximum benefit. Hitherto service after 40 years has attracted no pension