Children's education benefit
Under this benefit, each of your eligible children may receive $10,000 a year for the first four years of full-time study beyond high school.
If you are an active, disabled, or retired member covered under the Death and Disability Plan, your eligible children may receive this benefit. (Exceptions exist within the 90-day window for no-cost death coverage if you are enrolled in Pastor's Participation.)
If you were enrolled in Pastor’s Participation when you terminated employment, did not enroll in transitional participation, and die within 90 days after your death benefits coverage ends, your covered dependent children under age 25 are eligible for this benefit.
Amount of benefit
Under this benefit, each of your eligible children under age 25 may receive $10,000 annually, up to a maximum of $40,000 per child, for the first four years of full-time accredited study beyond high school after you die. The plan does not pay benefits for study before your death.
The maximum benefit for any one eligible child is four years and $40,000. The benefit is not intended to cover graduate studies; however, the Board of Pensions will grant it for one year of graduate study if a child completes post-secondary study in three years.
Applying for and receiving benefits
In the event of your death, your family should contact the Board of Pensions when planning for a child’s higher education. The Board will send a
- Student’s Application for Educational Benefits, to be completed by the student; and
- Authorization for Direct Deposit form, to be completed by the student if he or she would like to receive the payment of the benefit by direct deposit.
Your family or survivor must return all completed forms to the Board.
The Board pays the children’s education benefit monthly, directly to the student over a 12-month period. For students in semester-based programs, the following payment schedule applies:
- fall semester: six payments, October through March
- spring semester: six payments, April through September
Verifying the student's status
The school registrar must verify with the Board, in writing, full-time student status periodically throughout the academic year. The registrar can return any form of verification on official school or clearinghouse letterhead to the Board.