Currently, for Unmarried Participants: If you are not married the QPSA information does not apply to you. In the event you die prior to your retirement date, and you are unmarried or you have been married to your spouse for less than a year at the time of your death, your beneficiary (spouse or children only for deaths on and after October 1, 2017) will be entitled to 60 monthly payments in an amount equal to the monthly pension you would have received had you retired upon your date of death provided: 1) you are vested at the time of your death; and 2) there are no court orders awarding surviving spouse benefits to an ex-spouse or alternate payee.
Only designations of a spouse or children will be recognized as beneficiaries.
Therefore, for any unmarried member without children, no pre-retirement death benefits are granted. We should be able to name anyone we choose to receive our death benefits. This plan rule discriminates against single persons and those without children. This must be changed!
