(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), if a member dies and the executive director determines that the death was an occupational death, a lump-sum death benefit is payable from the state accumulation account in an amount equal to one year's salary, computed on the basis of the member's rate of compensation at the time of death.
(b) The benefit provided by this section is payable only to the member's surviving spouse or, if there is no surviving spouse, to the guardian of the member's surviving dependent minor children. If the member is not survived by a spouse or dependent minor children, a benefit may not be paid under this section.