If a Tier II, III, IV, or VI member dies while in service and is credited with at least one year of service since last joining TRS, the member's designated beneficiary can apply to receive ordinary death benefits under the Qualified Pension Plan (QPP). The death benefit would equal the balance in the member's Annuity Savings Fund (ASF) (for Tier II members) or Member Contributions Accumulations Fund (MCAF) and Annuity Savings Accumulation Fund (ASAF) (for Tier III, IV, and VI members), plus the amount of either Death Benefit #1 or Death Benefit #2.

As of October 1, 2000, beneficiaries of Tier II, III, and IV members receive the greater of either Death Benefit #1 or Death Benefit #2, even if the member had elected Death Benefit #1 coverage. Members who joined TRS after January 1, 2001 (including Tier VI members) are automatically enrolled in Death Benefit #2.