Although Rubiosa mentioned "accumulation", it would be clearer to know for sure that he means "not annutized".  But I think that's what he meant, and that Ray was talking about annuitized sums of various kinds, not just TIAA Traditional.

I thought I should post a quote from my most recent TIAA Contract, from 2003.  It has many pages of irritatingly overlapping changes and endorsements.  But here's the one you want (boldface in the original):

Endorsement to TIAA Retirement Annuity Contracts, Effective Date: July 1, 1994

...Two new methods are add ed to the Methods of Payment of the Death Benefit provision:

Single-Sum Payment: The Death Benefit will be paid to your Beneficiary in one sum.

Minimum Distribution Annuity:  The .... 

Of course there are a lot of provisos, including IANAL.  This is for an IRA contract, although the endorsement sounds like it could well be for all forms of contract.  And the definition of what is a "Beneficiary" within a trust (and how property passes with death in your state), and TIAA being a NY State insurance company ...

But it certainly sounds like a real-person Beneficiary wouldn't even have to wait 9 years and a day to get hold of the TIAA Traditional part of your accumulation.

Tim