(1) If a retirant and his or her option annuitants, if any, die before receiving annuity payments equal to the member's residue amount, then the residue amount shall be paid to such persons as the retirant shall have nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.
(2) As used in this section, “residue” means the difference between the accumulated contributions and regular interest credited to the retirement reserve account as of the member's retirement effective date and the total amount of annuities paid.
(3) If a retirant and his or her option annuitants die and the member has failed to designate a beneficiary or if all designated beneficiaries have predeceased the retirant, the residue shall be paid to the retirant's estate.
(4) If upon the termination of the option annuity no surviving beneficiary designated by the member survives and it is impracticable to make payment to the member's estate, the residue shall be forfeited to the trust assets of the system subject to any valid claim of the member's estate under § 24-7-734.