Section 152. 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:
    1. "Beneficiary" shall mean a person who is receiving a benefit from a
  public  retirement system of the state or who has met all the conditions
  precedent for the actual receipt of a benefit from a  public  retirement
  system  of the state, and the monies are due and owing to such person by
  the public retirement system of the state.
    2. "Retired member" shall mean a person who is retired from and who is
  receiving a retirement allowance from a public retirement system of  the
  state.
    3. "Member" shall mean a member of any public retirement system of the
  state.
    4.  "Head  of the retirement system" shall mean the state comptroller,
  with respect to the state employees' retirement  system  and  the  state
  policemen's and firemen's retirement system, and the retirement board of
  the other public retirement systems of the state.
    5.  "Public  employee  pension  plan"  shall  mean  any plan, fund, or
  program which was heretofore or is hereafter established or  maintained,
  in  whole  or  in  part,  by a public employer of the state, as the term
  public employer is defined in article fourteen of the civil service law,
  and administered by a public  retirement  system  of  the  state,  which
  provides retirement income to employees or their beneficiaries.
    6.  "Public  retirement  system  of the state" shall mean the New York
  state employees' retirement  system,  New  York  state  policemen's  and
  firemen's retirement system, New York state teachers' retirement system,
  New  York  city  employees'  retirement  system, New York city teachers'
  retirement system, New York city police pension fund, New York city fire
  department pension fund  and  the  New  York  city  board  of  education
  retirement system.
    7.  "Total  accumulated plan benefits" shall mean an interest obtained
  by a member in that part of a public employee pension plan which  arises
  from  the  member's  continued  service  for  a public employer based on
  service to date.
    8. "Vested pension benefit" shall  mean  an  interest  obtained  by  a
  member  in that part of a public employee pension plan which arises from
  the member's continued service for a public employer and which would not
  be forfeited under the terms and provisions of the plan  if  the  member
  were to terminate employment.