In the event that an officer dies before their spouse and/or beneficiaries do, there are benefits that will be payable to the spouse and/or children. The benefits vary depending upon whether the officer's death is before or after retirement.
Before Retirement
Beneficiary or beneficiaries receive:
| Pre-Retirement Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Return of Contributions | The officer's employee contributions will be paid to their beneficiary unless an automatic benefit is payable to their surviving spouse or children. Note: Your spouse is the person to whom you are legally married on the date of your death, if that marriage is recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia. |
| Automatic Death Benefits | An automatic death benefit will be paid to the officer's surviving spouse and children. Your eligible surviving spouse (or eligible surviving handicapped child if there is no spouse) will receive a monthly death benefit of $2,809.56. Each eligible surviving child will receive a benefit of $1,123.82 a month. However, $5,619.11 is the maximum monthly benefit payable to all surviving family members combined. (Automatic benefit amounts quoted above are effective as of July 1, 2025). |
After Retirement
| Post-Retirement Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Joint and Contingent Spouse and Handicapped Child benefit. | If the retired officer chose to provide for a joint and survivor option when they retired, then the designated beneficiary will receive the percentage of the officers pension benefit that they selected at retirement. |
| Automatic Death Benefits | An automatic death benefit will be paid to the officer's surviving spouse and children. Your eligible surviving spouse (or eligible surviving handicapped child if there is no spouse) will receive a monthly death benefit of $2,809.56. Each eligible surviving child will receive a benefit of $1,123.828 a month. However, $5,619.11 is the maximum monthly benefit payable to all surviving family members combined. (Automatic benefit amounts quoted above are effective as of July 1, 2025). |
Optional Benefit for Family if Death Occurs in the Line of Duty
If an officer is killed in the line of duty, your surviving spouse (or surviving handicapped child if there is no surviving spouse) may, instead of the automatic benefit, elect to receive a benefit of 66 2/3% of your regular salary at the time of death. Once this election is made, it cannot be revoked. If elected, the optional benefit will be paid to your surviving spouse (or, if there was no spouse, to the surviving handicapped child as long as that child is determined to be permanently mentally incompetent or permanently physically handicapped).
The benefit is calculated as follows: