State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Rhode-island > Title-45 > Chapter-45-21-1 > 45-21-1-1SECTION 45-21.1-1
§ 45-21.1-1 Benefits. – (a) Whenever, under any general law or special act, any town or city hasestablished a pension system for the fire fighters of the town or city, fundedin whole or in part by contributions from those fire fighters, then upon thedeath of a fire fighter, whether before or after his or her retirement, thereis due from the fire fighter's pension fund of the town or city to the personor persons as he or she has nominated by written designation, and, if nodesignation was made, to the widow or widower or domestic partner of the firefighter, if any, an amount equal to the total contributions made to the pensionfund by the deceased fire fighter less any benefits received by the firefighter from the fund. If there is no designation and no widow or widower ordomestic partner surviving the fire fighter, payments under the provisions ofthis section are paid to the estate of the deceased fire fighter in an amountequal to the total contributions made to the pension fund by the deceased firefighter less any benefits received by the fire fighter from the fund; provided,that if the amount due to the estate of a deceased fire fighter under theprovisions of this section is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or less, then, inlieu of making the payment due under the provisions of this section to theestate, the payment may be made to the widow or widower or domestic partner(for his or her sole use) of the deceased fire fighter; and provided, further,that this section does not apply in the case of any pension fund which providesbenefits for the dependents or survivors of a deceased fire fighter.
(b) The term "domestic partner" shall have the same meaningas that provided for in § 45-21-2.
