LOPFI and ASPRS Survivor Benefits in Arkansas: Public Safety Retirement Guide

Arkansas maintains two separate retirement systems for public safety officers. The Local Police and Fire Retirement System (LOPFI) covers municipal police officers and firefighters. The Arkansas State Police Retirement System (ASPRS) covers state troopers and Arkansas State Police personnel. Both systems provide survivor benefits to qualifying spouses and children — but each operates under its own rules, formulas, and annual compliance requirements that surviving families must understand to keep benefits flowing.

LOPFI Survivor Benefits: The B75 Benefit Option

LOPFI is the primary retirement vehicle for municipal law enforcement officers and firefighters across Arkansas. When a LOPFI member designates a survivor beneficiary and selects the B75 benefit option at retirement, the designated beneficiary is guaranteed 75% of the member's reduced lifetime annuity.

The B75 option comes with a trade-off: the member's own monthly benefit is slightly reduced during their lifetime to fund the survivor guarantee. The reduction factor applied to the member's pension ranges from approximately 89% to 94% of the standard benefit amount, calibrated actuarially based on the age difference between the member and the designated beneficiary. A larger age gap between member and beneficiary results in a greater reduction to the member's benefit.

If the member did not select the B75 option and instead chose a life-only benefit at retirement, no ongoing monthly benefit survives the member's death. The only payment would be whatever lump-sum death benefit the plan provides based on the member's vesting status.

Beneficiary designation updates: LOPFI manages beneficiary designations through the online Member Portal. If your spouse was an active LOPFI member who died before retirement, the benefit structure defaults to the plan's active-member survivor provisions rather than the B75 retiree option. Contact LOPFI directly to determine the applicable survivor formula based on the member's status and election history.

The LOPFI Annual Life Verification Requirement

This is one of the most operationally critical requirements for LOPFI survivor benefit recipients: every year on July 1, LOPFI dispatches a Life Verification form to active benefit recipients. The recipient must have the form notarized and return it to LOPFI before the stated deadline.

If the Life Verification form is not returned on time, LOPFI suspends all benefit payments immediately. The suspension continues until the form is received and verified. While suspended benefits are typically reinstated retroactively once the form is processed, the cash flow disruption can be severe — particularly for surviving spouses who depend on the monthly payment as a primary income source.

Set a recurring calendar reminder for June 15 each year to anticipate the July 1 form. Do not wait for the form to arrive; if you do not receive it by late June, contact LOPFI directly to request a replacement.

LOPFI Line-of-Duty Death Benefits

When a LOPFI member dies in the line of duty, the benefit calculation may differ from a standard retirement survivor annuity. Line-of-duty deaths may also trigger additional payments through the Arkansas State Claims Commission.

For officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty as the result of a criminal act, the Arkansas State Claims Commission adjudicates a $150,000 lump-sum death benefit for the surviving spouse or qualifying children. Municipal employers may additionally pay a $50,000 lump sum plus the monetized value of all accrued sick and vacation leave.

These State Claims Commission benefits are separate from the LOPFI pension survivor annuity. Both may be claimed simultaneously.

ASPRS Survivor Benefits: State Trooper Pensions

The Arkansas State Police Retirement System governs benefits for Arkansas State Police troopers and commissioned officers. The ASPRS survivor benefit structure is straightforward but distinct from LOPFI.

If an ASPRS retirant dies and is survived by a spouse but no dependent children, the surviving spouse receives an annuity equal to 50% of the retirant's pension. If the retirant is survived by both a spouse and dependent children, the total survivor annuity is 75% of the retirant's pension, divided among the survivors.

For ASPRS active members (troopers who die before retirement), the benefit calculation follows the member's accrued service record. Contact ASPRS directly to report the death and receive an eligibility determination.

The Arkansas State Police Commission also provides a separate $25,000 death benefit when a State Police officer loses their life in the course of employment. This is distinct from the ASPRS pension survivor annuity and must be claimed through the State Police Commission.

Coordinating LOPFI and ASPRS with Other Benefits

Arkansas public safety officers may have service time in multiple retirement systems — for example, a trooper who previously served as a municipal officer may have LOPFI service credit alongside ASPRS service credit. Arkansas maintains true reciprocity among its public retirement systems (APERS, ATRS, LOPFI, ASPRS), meaning service time can be aggregated to meet vesting requirements. However, the survivor claim must be filed with the primary system — the one holding the largest share of the member's credited service.

Do not assume filing with one system automatically notifies the others.

Education Benefits for Public Safety Survivors

Surviving children of law enforcement officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and other public safety personnel killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty may qualify for the LEO Dependents Scholarship Program. This program covers tuition, fees, and room and board at any Arkansas public college or university for up to eight semesters.

Key Contacts

The Arkansas Survivor Benefits Navigator covers LOPFI and ASPRS alongside APERS, ATRS, workers' compensation, health insurance continuation, and property tax exemptions — with the exact forms, deadlines, and eligibility rules for each program in one place.

See more Arkansas guides →