(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), if a person who receives an occupational disability retirement annuity 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 retiree's rate of compensation at the time of disability retirement.
(b) The benefit provided by this section is payable only to the retiree's surviving spouse or, if there is no surviving spouse, to the guardian of the retiree's surviving dependent minor children. If the retiree is not survived by a spouse or dependent minor children, a benefit may not be paid under this section.