As an active member, you should keep your beneficiary designation in your SERS record current. The Beneficiary Designation form, which is available from your employer or DRS, should be mailed to DRS. If you fail to file a Beneficiary Designation form, DRS pays your surviving spouse or minor child. If there are none, DRS will pay your estate.
If you marry or divorce prior to retirement, you should file a new Beneficiary Designation form, even if your beneficiary remains the same. However, you should be aware that an ex-spouse may be able to attach your benefits under certain circumstances. See Assignment and attachment of benefits. If you fail to file a new Beneficiary Designation form, DRS pays your surviving spouse or minor child. If there are none, DRS will pay your estate.
At retirement, if you choose Option 1, you may name a trust, your estate, an organization, or a person as your beneficiary. If you choose a survivor benefit option at retirement, you must select one person as your beneficiary. To change a beneficiary after retirement, see changing a benefit option or beneficiary after retirement.
If a disability totally incapacitates you for continued employment with a public school district or ESD, and you leave that employment as a result, you may be eligible for a disability retirement benefit. There is no minimum service credit requirement for this benefit. Benefits will not be paid until you have separated from service. You can learn more about SERS disability benefits by reading the SERS Plan 2 and Plan 3 Disability Benefits publication.
Note: Changes were made to this provision (HB 1261) during the 2007 legislative session.
In some cases you can obtain service credit for work time missed while on temporary disability leave. For more information on this subject, refer to the SERS Plan 2 and Plan 3 Disability Benefits publication or speak with a DRS Retirement Services Analyst.
Your benefits may be affected if you work for a DRS-covered employer after retirement. Under state law, the employer is required to report your hours to DRS. When you apply for retirement you will receive the publication, Thinking About Working After Retirement? in your application packet. The publication contains information on the rules regarding post-retirement employment.
If you are not sure how those rules may apply to you, please contact DRS before you return to work.