Section 31786.1 Of Article 12. Death Benefit From California Government Code >> Division 4. >> Title 3. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 12.
31786.1
. (a) Notwithstanding Section 31481 or 31786, upon the death
of any member after retirement for service-connected disability, his
or her retirement allowance as it was at his or her death if not
modified in accordance with one of the optional settlements specified
in Article 11 (commencing with Section 31760), shall be continued to
his or her surviving spouse for life. If there is no surviving
spouse entitled to an allowance under this section or if he or she
dies before every child of the deceased member attains the age of 18
years, then the allowance that the surviving spouse would have
received had he or she lived, shall be paid to his or her child or
children under that age, collectively, to continue until each child
dies or attains that age. However, no child may receive any allowance
after marrying or attaining the age of 18 years.
(b) No allowance may be paid under this section to a surviving
spouse unless he or she was married to the member at least two years
prior to the date of death and has attained the age of 55 years on or
prior to the date of death.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the
benefits otherwise payable to the children of the member shall be
paid to the children through the age of 21 years if the children
remain unmarried and are regularly enrolled as full-time students in
an accredited school as determined by the board.
(d) No allowance may be paid pursuant to this section to any
person who is entitled to an allowance pursuant to Section 31786.
(e) The superseding rights pursuant to this section do not affect
benefits payable to a named beneficiary as provided under Section
31789, 31789.01, 31789.1, 31789.12, 31789.13, 31789.2, 31789.3,
31789.5, or 31790.
(f) This section is not applicable in any county until the board
of retirement, by resolution adopted by a majority vote, makes this
section applicable in the county. The board's resolution may
designate a date, which may be prior or subsequent to the date of the
resolution, as of which the resolution and this section shall be
operative in the county.