As used in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2601 et seq., and amendments thereto, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “Fund” means the Kansas public employees retirement fund created by Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-4921, and amendments thereto;

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(b) “retirement system for judges” means the system provided for in the acts contained in article 26 of chapter 20 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, and any acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto;

(c) “judge” means any duly elected or appointed justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals or judge of any district court of Kansas, who serves in such capacity on and after the effective date of this act and commencing with the first day of the first payroll period of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, any district magistrate judge who makes an election as provided in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2620, and amendments thereto, or who is elected or appointed on or after July 1, 1993;

(d) “member” means a judge who is making the required contributions to the fund, or any former judge who has made the required contributions to the fund and has not received a refund of the judge’s accumulated contributions;

(e) “prior service” means all the periods of time any judge has served in such capacity prior to the effective date of this act except that district magistrate judges who have service credit under the Kansas public employees retirement system must make application to the board and, subject to the provisions of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-49,123, and amendments thereto, make payment as required by the board to transfer service credit from the Kansas public employees retirement system to the retirement system for judges;

(f) “current service” means the period of service any judge serves in such capacity from and after the effective date of this act;

(g) “military service” means service of any judge for which retirement benefit credit must be given as provided in the uniformed services employment and reemployment rights act of 1994, as in effect on July 1, 2008;

(h) “total years of service” means the total number of years served as a judge, including prior service, military service and current service as defined by this section, computed to the nearest quarter;

(i) “salary” means the statutory salary of a judge;

(j) “final average salary” means that determined as provided in subsection (b) of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2610, and amendments thereto;

(k) “beneficiary” means any natural person or persons or estate designated by a judge in the latest designation of beneficiary received in the retirement system office to receive any benefits as provided for by this act. Except as provided in subsection (n), if there is no named beneficiary living at the time of the judge’s death, any benefits provided for by this act shall be paid to: (1) The judge’s surviving spouse; (2) the judge’s dependent child or children; (3) the judge’s dependent parent or parents; (4) the judge’s nondependent child or children; (5) the judge’s nondependent parent or parents; or (6) the estate of the deceased member; in the order of preference as specified in this subsection. Designations of beneficiaries by a member who is a member of more than one retirement system made on or after July 1, 1987, shall be the basis of any benefits payable under all systems unless otherwise provided by law;

(l) “annuity” means a series of equal monthly payments, payable at the end of each calendar month during the life of a retired judge, of which payments the first payment shall be made as of the end of the calendar month in which such annuity was awarded and the last payment shall be at the end of the calendar month in which such judge dies. The first payment shall include all amounts accrued since the effective date of the award of annuities, including a pro rata portion of the monthly amount of any fraction of a month elapsing between the effective date of such annuity and the end of the calendar month in which such annuity began;

(m) “board” means the board of trustees of the Kansas public employees retirement system;

(n) “trust” means an express trust created by any trust instrument, including a will, and designated by a member to receive benefits and other amounts payable under Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 20-2607, 20-2610a and 20-2612, and amendments thereto, instead of a beneficiary. A designation of a trust shall be filed with the board. If there is a designated trust at the time of the member’s death, all benefits and other amounts payable under Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 20-2607, 20-2610a and 20-2612, and amendments thereto, shall be paid to the trust instead of the member’s beneficiary. If no will is admitted to probate within six months after the death of the member or no trustee qualifies within such six months or if the designated trust fails, for any reason whatsoever, any benefits and other amounts payable under Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 20-2607, 20-2610a and 20-2612, and amendments thereto, shall be paid to the member’s beneficiary and any payments so made shall be a full discharge and release to the retirement system for judges from any further claims;

(o) “accumulated contributions” means the sum of all contributions by a member to the retirement system for judges which are credited to the member’s account, with interest allowed thereon after June 30, 1982;

(p) “federal internal revenue code” means the federal internal revenue code of 1954 or 1986, as in effect on July 1, 2008, and as applicable to a governmental plan; and

(q) except as otherwise provided in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2601 et seq., and amendments thereto, words and phrases used in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2601 et seq., and amendments thereto, shall have the same meanings ascribed to them as are defined in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-4902, and amendments thereto.