§ 21533 Academic Employee Death Benefits

• •If a California State University teacher dies while on paid leave or within 12 months after paid leave, their family gets benefits based on their full pay, not the lower pay they got during leave.
• •This rule helps families get more money if the teacher was earning less because they were on leave.
• •The teacher must have been getting less money during leave than their normal pay.

A professor takes a paid leave for 6 months to write a book. During this leave, they earn half of their normal salary. Sadly, they pass away 10 months after returning to work. Their family will receive benefits based on the professor's full salary, not the reduced pay they received during leave.

The law makes sure the family gets benefits as if the professor was earning their full salary the whole time, even though they were on leave.