diff --git a/library/Zend/Form/Element/Select.php b/library/Zend/Form/Element/Select.php
index 3700874f14c..395b4be0eea 100644
--- a/library/Zend/Form/Element/Select.php
+++ b/library/Zend/Form/Element/Select.php
@@ -175,9 +175,19 @@ protected function getValueOptionsValues()
         $values = array();
         $options = $this->getValueOptions();
         foreach ($options as $key => $optionSpec) {
-            $value = (is_array($optionSpec)) ? $optionSpec['value'] : $key;
-            $values[] = $value;
+            if(is_array($optionSpec) && array_key_exists('options', $optionSpec)){
+                foreach ($optionSpec['options'] as $nestedKey => $nestedOptionSpec) {
+                    $values[] = $this->getOptionValue($nestedKey, $nestedOptionSpec);
+                }
+            }else{
+              $values[] = $this->getOptionValue($key, $optionSpec);
+            }
         }
         return $values;
     }
+
+    private function getOptionValue($key, $optionSpec)
+    {
+        return is_array($optionSpec) ? $optionSpec['value'] : $key;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/ZendTest/Form/Element/SelectTest.php b/tests/ZendTest/Form/Element/SelectTest.php
index ffb9ef09a96..373231df8d4 100644
--- a/tests/ZendTest/Form/Element/SelectTest.php
+++ b/tests/ZendTest/Form/Element/SelectTest.php
@@ -49,6 +49,41 @@ public function testProvidesInputSpecificationForSingleSelect()
         }
     }
 
+    public function testValidateWorksForNestedSelectElementWithSimpleNaming()
+    {
+        $element = new SelectElement();
+        $element->setValueOptions(array(
+          array('label' => 'group 1', 'options' => array(
+            'Option 1' => 'Label 1',
+            'Option 2' => 'Label 2',
+            'Option 3' => 'Label 2',
+          ))));
+
+        $inputSpec = $element->getInputSpecification();
+        $inArrayValidator = $inputSpec['validators'][0];
+
+        $this->assertTrue($inArrayValidator->isValid('Option 1'));
+        $this->assertFalse($inArrayValidator->isValid('Option 5'));
+    }
+
+    public function testValidateWorksForNestedSelectElementWithExplicitNaming()
+    {
+        $element = new SelectElement();
+        $element->setValueOptions(array(
+          array('label' => 'group 1', 'options' => array(
+            array('value' => 'Option 1', 'label'=> 'Label 1'),
+            array('value' => 'Option 2', 'label'=> 'Label 2'),
+            array('value' => 'Option 3', 'label'=> 'Label 3'),
+          ))));
+
+        $inputSpec = $element->getInputSpecification();
+        $inArrayValidator = $inputSpec['validators'][0];
+
+        $this->assertTrue($inArrayValidator->isValid('Option 1'));
+        $this->assertTrue($inArrayValidator->isValid('Option 2'));
+        $this->assertTrue($inArrayValidator->isValid('Option 3'));
+        $this->assertFalse($inArrayValidator->isValid('Option 5'));
+    }
     public function testProvidesInputSpecificationForMultipleSelect()
     {
         $element = new SelectElement();
@@ -137,4 +172,4 @@ public function testDeprecateOptionsInAttributes()
         ));
         $this->assertEquals($valueOptions, $element->getValueOptions());
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}