Active Member

There are two types of active member death benefits: the basic death benefit and alternative death benefits. In the event of your death during active membership, the appropriate death benefit will be paid to your designated beneficiary(ies) indicated at enrollment or subsequently through an ACERA Active or Deferred Member Beneficiary Designation Form.

Basic Active Member Death Benefit

The basic active member death benefit, paid to your named beneficiary, consists of:

Your employee retirement contributions plus interest as of the date of death,
AND
One month�s pay for each full year of service, up to a maximum of six month�s pay.

Alternative Active Member Death Benefits

Spousal Benefit (ADEB available)

Your surviving spouse/registered domestic partner may elect a monthly continuance based on the amount to which you would have been entitled at retirement due to non-service-connected disability as of the date of death. The continuance payment is paid for the lifetime of the surviving spouse/registered domestic partner.

Your surviving spouse/registered domestic partner may elect a combined benefit, including both a lump-sum amount and a reduced monthly continuance payment. The continuance payment is paid for the lifetime of the surviving spouse/registered domestic partner.

If there is no surviving spouse/registered domestic partner, your unmarried children may collectively elect a monthly continuance equal to 60% of the amount to which you would have been entitled at retirement due to non-service-connected disability as of the date of death.

For periods during which more than one child is eligible for the continuance, the continuance payments will be divided equally among them.

IMPORTANT

Your surviving spouse/registered domestic partner or unmarried children are not required to be named as beneficiaries to elect an alternative death benefit. If your surviving spouse/registered domestic partner or unmarried child elects one of the death benefits noted above, that election will supersede and replace payment of the basic death benefit to your named beneficiary(ies).

The ADEB benefit is not a guaranteed benefit; it is provided for by the Supplemental Retirement Benefit Reserve fund. It is subject to discontinuance if not approved by the Board in any year. However, the law provides a 60% continuance to a spouse upon death, which is a vested (guaranteed) benefit.

For eligible spouses, ADEB elections are by far the most commonly exercised elections to replace the basic active death benefit. However, if your death is service-connected, additional benefits are offered to your survivors, as follows:

A General or Safety Member�s death due to injury or disease arising out of and in the course of employment.

If there is no surviving spouse/registered domestic partner, your surviving eligible minor children may receive the higher benefit level available to your spouse/registered domestic partner (as outlined in the table above). Payments are made until age 18 (to age 22 if an unmarried full-time student at an accredited school).

A Safety Member�s death in the line of duty, resulting from an accident or injury caused by external physical force.

A lump-sum payment of one year�s salary is added to your spouse/registered domestic partner�s benefit. Your surviving eligible minor children may also receive an additional benefit payment. The amount depends on the number of eligible minor children and payments are made until age 18 (to age 22 if an unmarried full-time student at an accredited school).

Deferred Member Death Benefits

If your death occurs while you are in a deferred member status with ACERA, retirement contributions plus interest as of the date of death will be paid to your beneficiary or beneficiaries. No additional death benefits are offered to surviving spouses/registered domestic partners or eligible minor children of deferred members.