(1) Qualifications. Ordinary death benefits are paid to the designated beneficiary of a deceased employee or vested member who has not received any retirement or disability benefits from the Retirement System.

(2) Benefit amount.[25] The ordinary death benefit shall be an amount equal to the deceased member's total contributions to the Retirement System, without interest, together with an additional amount equal to the member's average final compensation multiplied by the number of completed years of credited service, and divided by the number of years of credited service required for that member to become a vested member as defined in Section 22-105(47), provided that in no event shall the additional amount exceed the deceased member's average final compensation as defined in § 22-105(a). This additional amount shall be reduced by any amount provided solely by the City under any group life insurance program.

(3) Optional benefit.[26] If a deceased member had attained the applicable minimum retirement age or had become a vested member as defined in Section 22-105(47) or, if the member is a Police Employee or Fire Employee who shall be deemed as having become a vested member, the beneficiary of such member shall have the option of receiving:

(a) the amount payable under § 22-502(2), or

(b) the amount payable under Option 2 of § 22-306 (Retirement and Survivor Benefit Options) determined as follows:

(.1) in the case of a member who had attained the minimum retirement age specified in the applicable plan, an annual benefit calculated as if the member had retired on the day preceding the member's death; or

(.2) in the case of a member who had become a vested member, but had not attained the retirement age specified in the applicable plan, an annual benefit calculated as if the member had been eligible to retire and retired on the day before the member died, based on the member's attained age at the date of death.

(4) Ordinary death benefit in lieu of service-connected death benefit. If the deceased member's death was a service-connected death, the surviving spouse may elect to receive ordinary death benefits in lieu of service-connected death benefits. If the surviving spouse shall die before that surviving spouse's dependent child or children reach the age of eighteen (18) years, then the surviving dependent children under the age of eighteen (18) years shall receive equal shares of the annual benefit that the surviving spouse had been receiving. When any such child dies or attains the age of eighteen (18) years, there shall be a redistribution by the Board to the surviving dependent child or children under such age.

(5) Conditions. No spouse of a member of Plan D, Plan J or Plan X shall be entitled to receive benefits pursuant to this Section unless such spouse (a) was married to the deceased member for not less than two (2) full years before the member died, and was living with or entitled to support from such member at the date of death, or (b) was designated in writing as the beneficiary.