State Public Pensions in Louisiana
Louisiana's two largest public-employee pension systems are LASERS, for state employees, and TRSL, for teachers and other education employees. Survivor and death benefits depend on whether the member was active or retired and, for a retiree, on the benefit option the member elected at retirement.
Administering agency
Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System (LASERS) and Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL)
State Public Pensions in Louisiana: key facts
- Systems
- LASERS (Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System) for state employees; TRSL (Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana) for teachers and education employees.
- Retiree death
- The continuing benefit depends on the retirement option the member elected. Under the Maximum Option, no lifetime benefit continues: benefits cease at death, and only a one-time lump sum of any member contributions not yet paid out is due to the named beneficiary (LASERS) or the member's estate (TRSL).
- Active-member death
- Survivor benefits may be payable to a surviving spouse, minor children, and physically handicapped or mentally disabled children when an eligible active or inactive member dies before retirement. If no survivor benefit is due, a refund of contributions goes to the named beneficiary or the estate.
- Contacts
- LASERS: 225-922-0600 or 800-256-3000. TRSL: 225-925-6446 or 1-877-275-8775 (1-877-ASK-TRSL).
Steps to take when someone dies
- Identify whether the deceased was a member of LASERS (state employee) or TRSL (teacher/education employee).
- Report the death to the system so the member's pension payments stop.
- Confirm the beneficiary designation and, for a retiree, the benefit option the member elected.
- File the survivor or death-benefit application with the documents the system requires — LASERS Form 03-01 (Application for Survivor Benefits) or TRSL Form 13 (Application for Survivor Benefits). LASERS pays no survivor benefit without a survivor application on file.
Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System (LASERS) and Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL)
Phone: 225-922-0600
Visit the agency website →Frequently asked questions
Contact LASERS at 225-922-0600 or 800-256-3000 for a state employee, or TRSL at 225-925-6446 or 1-877-275-8775 for a teacher or other education employee. Each system handles survivor and death-benefit claims for its members.
The benefit that continues depends on the option the retiree elected at retirement. Under the Maximum Option, no lifetime benefit continues: benefits cease at death, and only a one-time lump sum of any member contributions not yet paid out remains due. The lifetime survivor options instead continue a monthly benefit to the named beneficiary.
Survivor benefits may be payable to a surviving spouse, to minor children, and to physically handicapped or mentally disabled children when an eligible active or inactive LASERS or TRSL member dies before retirement. The amount depends on the member's service and the system's rules, and no benefit is paid without a survivor application on file.
Sources
Data sourced from State Public Pensions in Louisiana primary sources (6 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System (LASERS) and Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL)