Designating beneficiaries

The Board pays benefits to your beneficiary(ies) on file with the Board of Pensions at the time of your death as designated through Benefits Connect.

Log on to Benefits Connect to designate beneficiaries when you are first enrolled in death benefits, or to add, change, or verify designated beneficiaries and the percentage of the benefit assigned to each.

If you do not designate a beneficiary, the Board pays benefits in a certain order, according to Benefits Plan rules.

The plan pays salary continuation benefits in the following order to your

  • spouse, provided the marriage occurred at least one year before your death or any disability benefits began;
  • dependent children under age 21 who are not in a marriage, and permanently disabled children age 21 or older who are not in a marriage and depended on you for support for 12 months before and on the date of death;
  • children, regardless of age;
  • estate.

The plan pays lump-sum death benefits in the following order to your

  • spouse, provided the marriage occurred at least one year before your death or any disability benefits began;
  • dependent children under age 21 who are not in a marriage, and permanently disabled children age 21 or older who are not in a marriage and depended on you for support for 12 months before and on your date of death;
  • dependent parents;
  • dependent siblings under age 21 who are not in a marriage, and permanently disabled siblings age 21 or older who are not in a marriage and depended on you for support for 12 months before and on your date of death;
  • estate, when there are no eligible dependents. The benefit equals 100 percent of the death benefit basis.

The plan pays supplemental death benefits to your designated beneficiaries or, if you did not designate any beneficiaries, to your spouse, eligible dependents, or estate. You are always the beneficiary for any spouse or child benefit.