Section 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.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 875, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2003.)