Except as provided in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2610a, and amendments thereto, in the event of a judge’s death prior to retirement, the judge’s accumulated contributions shall be paid to the judge’s beneficiary. Whenever a judge dies after retirement, without electing an option under Kan. Stat. Ann. § 20-2610a, and amendments thereto, the amount of annuities the judge has received under the retirement system for judges shall be computed and if such amount is less than the judge’s accumulated contributions, the difference shall be paid to the judge’s beneficiary.