Section 601. Definitions

The following words and phrases as used in this
  article shall have the following meanings unless a different meaning  is
  plainly required by the context:
    a. "Active service" shall mean service while being paid on the payroll
  of  a  participating employer provided, however, a leave of absence with
  pay may be deemed active  service  pursuant  to  rules  and  regulations
  adopted by a public retirement system of the state.
    b.  "Credited  service" shall mean all service which has been credited
  to a member pursuant to section six hundred nine of this article.
    c. "Creditable service" is service which qualifies to  be  counted  as
  credited service pursuant to section six hundred nine of this article.
    d.  "Eligible  beneficiary"  for  the  purposes of section six hundred
  seven of this article shall mean the following  persons  or  classes  of
  persons in the order set forth:
    1.  A  surviving spouse who has not renounced survivorship rights in a
  separation agreement, until remarriage;
    2. Surviving children until age twenty-five;
    3. Dependent parents, determined under regulations promulgated by  the
  head of the retirement system;
    4.  Any other person who qualified as a dependent on the final federal
  income tax return of  the  member  or  the  return  filed  in  the  year
  immediately  preceding  the  year  of  death,  until such person reaches
  twenty-one years  of  age.  In  the  event  that  a  class  of  eligible
  beneficiaries  consists  of  more  than  one  person,  benefits shall be
  divided equally among the persons in such class; and
    5. With respect to members of the New York city employees'  retirement
  system  or  the  board  of education employees' retirement system of the
  city of New York only, a person or persons whom the  member  shall  have
  nominated  in  the  form of a written designation, duly acknowledged and
  filed with the head of the retirement system for the purpose of  section
  six hundred six of this article.
    e.  "Member"  shall  mean  a  member subject to the provisions of this
  article.
    f. "Head of the retirement system" shall mean  the  comptroller,  with
  respect  to  the  state  employees' retirement system and the retirement
  board of the other public retirement systems of the state.
    g. "Mandatory retirement age" shall mean age seventy.
    h. "Normal retirement age" shall mean age sixty-two.
    i. "Participating employer"  shall  mean  a  public  employer  who  is
  participating in a public retirement system of the state.
    j.  "Public  employer"  shall  mean  an  employer  who  is eligible to
  participate in a public retirement system of the state.
    k. "Public retirement system of the state" shall  mean  the  New  York
  state  employees' retirement system, New York state teachers' retirement
  system, New York city employees' retirement system (except with  respect
  to  members  qualified for participation in the uniformed transit police
  force plan or housing  police  force  plan),  New  York  city  teachers'
  retirement  system  and  the New York city board of education retirement
  system.
    l. "Wages" shall mean regular compensation earned by  and  paid  to  a
  member by a public employer.
    * NB Expires June 30, 2011