§ 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 New York state and local employees' retirement
system and the New York state and local police and fire 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 and local employees' retirement system, New York state and local
police and fire 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.