Coverage A or Coverage B – Member Dies After Retirement

One-Time Death Benefit

If a member dies after he or she is retired, the one-time death benefit is the same under both Coverage A and Coverage B.

CalSTRS pays a $6,163 lump-sum death payment to the named recipient or recipients of a retired member. (The amount of the payment may be adjusted periodically by the Teachers’ Retirement Board.)

If more than one recipient is named, the payment is divided equally, unless the member specified other percentages of distribution.

If there is no one-time death benefit recipient named, CalSTRS must pay the one-time death benefit to the estate of the deceased member.

Defined Benefit Supplement Distribution

If a member dies after retirement, depending on the annuity option for the member’s DBS account, its balance may be distributed to the recipient or recipients named on the member’s One-Time Death Benefit Designation form.

Monthly Benefit With an Option

Once a member has retired, no monthly benefit is payable to survivors unless the member has elected an option and named an option beneficiary from the options described in the Service Retirement Page.

If the member has chosen an option, the option beneficiary will receive the monthly benefit payable under the particular option elected by the member. If the member is retired and has not chosen an option, he or she has been receiving a Member-Only monthly benefit.

Member-Only Benefit

For the retired member who has a Member-Only Benefit and receives it for his or her lifetime, no continuing monthly benefit will be payable to another person or beneficiary. However, a one-time death benefit recipient will receive the monthly retirement benefit that accrued and was not paid and any residual contributions and interest that may be in the retired member's Defined Benefit account, after all benefit payments made to the retired member have been deducted.