If you pass away before your retirement date, any elections you made about retirement are null and void, including any elections about BackDROP. If you were still working and had not yet reached your retirement date, you are considered an “active member” and we must pay your eligible survivor. Your spouse’s monthly survivor benefit would be based on the Joint & 100% benefit payment option and calculated using your final average pay and credited service as of your date of death. Your spouse would not receive the BackDROP lump-sum payment if you died prior to your retirement date. In calculating your spouse’s monthly benefit, we would count the time in what would have been your BackDROP period – your total years and months of creditable service. For more information regarding survivor benefits, please visit the death of a member section of our website.