Any judge may by written election filed while he is a judge (except that in the case of an individual who is not reappointed following expiration of his term of office, it may be made at any time before the day after the day on which his successor takes office) bring himself within the purview of this section. In the case of any judge other than the chief judge the election shall be filed with the chief judge; in the case of the chief judge the election shall be filed as prescribed by the Tax Court.
Any special trial judge may by written election filed with the chief judge elect the application of this section. Such election shall be filed while such individual is a special trial judge.
There shall be deducted and withheld from the salary of each judge or special trial judge electing under subsection (b) a sum equal to 3.5 percent of such judge’s or special trial judge’s salary. The amounts so deducted and withheld from such judge’s or special trial judge’s salary shall, in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States, be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of a fund to be known as the “Tax Court judicial officers survivors annuity fund” and said fund is appropriated for the payment of annuities, refunds, and allowances as provided by this section. Each judge or special trial judge electing under subsection (b) shall be deemed thereby to consent and agree to the deductions from his salary as provided in this subsection, and payment less such deductions shall be a full and complete discharge and acquittance of all claims and demands whatsoever for all judicial services rendered by such judge or special trial judge during the period covered by such payment, except the right to the benefits to which he or his survivors shall be entitled under the provisions of this section.
Not later than the close of each fiscal year, there shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the survivors annuity fund, in accordance with such procedures as may be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States, amounts required to reduce to zero the unfunded liability (if any) of such fund. Subject to appropriation Acts, such deposits shall be taken from sums available for such fiscal year for the payment of amounts described in subsection (a)(4) and section 7443A(d), and shall immediately become an integrated part of such fund.
The amount required by subparagraph (A) to be deposited in any fiscal year shall not exceed an amount equal to 11 percent of the aggregate amounts described in subsection (a)(4) and (a)(6) paid during such fiscal year.
Each judge or special trial judge electing under subsection (b) shall deposit, with interest at 3 percent per annum, compounded on December 31 of each year, to the credit of the survivors annuity fund, a sum equal to 3.5 percent of his judge’s or special trial judge’s salary and of his basic salary, pay, or compensation for service as a Senator, Representative, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner in Congress, and for any other civilian service within the purview of sections 8332 and 8411 of title 5 of the United States Code. Each such judge or special trial judge may elect to make such deposits in installments during the continuance of his service as a judge or special trial judge in such amount and under such conditions as may be determined in each instance by the chief judge. Notwithstanding the failure of a judge or special trial judge to make such deposit, credit shall be allowed for the service rendered, but the annuity of the surviving spouse of such judge or special trial judge shall be reduced by an amount equal to 10 percent of the amount of such deposit, computed as of the date of the death of such judge or special trial judge, unless such surviving spouse shall elect to eliminate such service entirely from credit under subsection (n), except that no deposit shall be required from a judge or special trial judge for any year with respect to which deductions from his salary were actually made under the civil service retirement laws and no deposit shall be required for any honorable service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States.
The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest from time to time, in interest-bearing securities of the United States or Federal farm loan bonds, such portions of the survivors annuity fund as in his judgment may not be immediately required for the payment of the annuities, refunds, and allowances as provided in this section. The income derived from such investments shall constitute a part of said fund for the purpose of paying annuities and of carrying out the provisions of subsections (g), (h), and (j).
The amount deposited by or deducted and withheld from the salary of each judge or special trial judge electing to bring himself within the purview of this section for credit to the survivors annuity fund shall be credited to an individual account of such judge or special trial judge.
If the service of any judge or special trial judge electing under subsection (b) terminates other than pursuant to the provisions of section 7447 or if any judge or special trial judge ceases to be married after making the election under subsection (b) and revokes (in a writing filed as provided in subsection (b)) such election, the amount credited to his individual account, together with interest at 3 percent per annum, compounded on December 31 of each year, to the date of his relinquishment of office, shall be returned to him. For the purpose of this section, the service of any judge or special trial judge electing under subsection (b) who is not reappointed following expiration of his term but who, at the time of such expiration, is eligible for and elects to receive retired pay under section 7447 shall be deemed to have terminated pursuant to said section.
If a judge or special trial judge described in paragraph (2) is survived by a surviving spouse but not by a dependent child, there shall be paid to such surviving spouse an annuity beginning with the day of the death of the judge or special trial judge or following the surviving spouse’s attainment of age 50, whichever is the later, in an amount computed as provided in subsection (m).
The annuity payable to a surviving spouse under this subsection shall be terminable upon such surviving spouse’s death or such surviving spouse’s remarriage before attaining age 55.
In case of the death of a surviving spouse of a judge or special trial judge leaving a dependent child or children of the judge or special trial judge surviving such spouse, the annuity of such child or children shall be recomputed and paid as provided in paragraph (1)(C).
In any case in which the annuity of a dependent child is terminated under this subsection, the annuities of any remaining dependent child or children based upon the service of the same judge or special trial judge shall be recomputed and paid as though the child whose annuity was so terminated had not survived such judge.
In the case of a survivor of a judge or special trial judge described in paragraph (2)(B), there shall be deducted from the annuities otherwise payable under this section an amount equal to the amount of salary deductions that would have been made if such deductions had been made for 18 months prior to the death of the judge or special trial judge.
Questions of dependency and disability arising under this section shall be determined by the chief judge subject to review only by the Tax Court, the decision of which shall be final and conclusive. The chief judge may order or direct at any time such medical or other examinations as he shall deem necessary to determine the facts relative to the nature and degree of disability of any dependent child who is an annuitant or applicant for annuity under this section, and may suspend or deny any such annuity for failure to submit to any examination so ordered or directed.
The chief judge shall determine whether the killing of a judge or special trial judge was an assassination, subject to review only by the Tax Court. The head of any Federal agency that investigates the killing of a judge or special trial judge shall provide to the chief judge any information that would assist the chief judge in making such a determination.
Where any payment under this section is to be made to a minor, or to a person mentally incompetent or under other legal disability adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction, such payment may be made to the person who is constituted guardian or other fiduciary by the law of the State of residence of such claimant or is otherwise legally vested with the care of the claimant or his estate. Where no guardian or other fiduciary of the person under legal disability has been appointed under the laws of the State of residence of the claimant, the chief judge shall determine the person who is otherwise legally vested with the care of the claimant or his estate.
Annuities granted under the terms of this section shall accrue monthly and shall be due and payable in monthly installments on the first business day of the month following the month or other period for which the annuity shall have accrued. None of the moneys mentioned in this section shall be assignable, either in law or in equity, or subject to execution, levy, attachment, garnishment, or other legal process.
Subject to the provisions of subsection (d), the years of service of a judge or special trial judge which are allowable as the basis for calculating the amount of the annuity of his surviving spouse shall include his years of service as a member of the United States Board of Tax Appeals, as a judge or special trial judge of the Tax Court of the United States, and as a judge or special trial judge of the Tax Court, his years of service pursuant to any appointment under section 7443A, his years of service as a Senator, Representative, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner in Congress, his years of active service as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States not exceeding 5 years in the aggregate and not including any such service for which credit is allowed for the purposes of retirement or retired pay under any other provision of law, and his years of any other civilian service within the purview of sections 8332 and 8411 of title 5 of the United States Code.
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prevent a surviving spouse eligible therefor from simultaneously receiving an annuity under this section and any annuity to which such spouse would otherwise be entitled under any other law without regard to this section, but in computing such other annuity service used in the computation of such spouse’s annuity under this section shall not be credited.
The chief judge shall submit to the President annual estimates of the expenditures and appropriations necessary for the maintenance and operation of the survivors annuity fund, and such supplemental and deficiency estimates as may be required from time to time for the same purposes, according to law. The chief judge shall cause periodic examinations of the survivors annuity fund to be made by an actuary, who may be an actuary employed by another department of the Government temporarily assigned for the purpose, and whose findings and recommendations shall be transmitted by the chief judge to the Tax Court.
In the case of a judge who dies within 6 months after the date of enactment of this section after having rendered at least 5 years of civilian service computed as prescribed in subsection (n), but without having made an election as provided in subsection (b), an annuity shall be paid to his surviving spouse and surviving dependents as is provided in this section, as if such judge had elected on the day of his death to bring himself within the purview of this section but had not made the deposit provided for by subsection (d). An annuity shall be payable under this section computed upon the basis of the actual length of service as a judge and other allowable service of the judge and subject to the reduction required by subsection (d) even though no deposit has been made, as required by subsection (h) with respect to any of such service.
Any judge electing under subsection (b) shall, at the time of such election, waive all benefits under the civil service retirement laws. Such a waiver shall be made in the same manner and shall have the same force and effect as an election filed under section 7447(e).
Each time that an increase is made under section 8340(b) of title 5, United States Code, in annuities payable under subchapter III of chapter 83 of that title, each annuity payable from the survivors annuity fund under this section shall be increased at the same time by the same percentage by which annuities are increased under such section 8340(b).
Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this section may be appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
In the case of a judge or special trial judge who is assassinated, an annuity shall be paid under this section notwithstanding a survivor’s eligibility for or receipt of benefits under chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, except that the annuity for which a surviving spouse is eligible under this section shall be reduced to the extent that the total benefits paid under this section and chapter 81 of that title for any year would exceed the current salary for that year of the office of the judge or special trial judge.