2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 19. Public Retirement Systems › Chapter 2. Public Employees' Retirement General Provisions › Part 8. Beneficiaries › 19-2-801. Designation of beneficiary

19-2-801. Designation of beneficiary.
(1) In the absence of any statutory beneficiaries, designated beneficiaries are the natural persons, charitable organizations, estate of the payment recipient, or trusts for the benefit of natural living persons that the member or payment recipient designates on the membership form provided by the board.
(2) Unless otherwise provided by this title or by a valid temporary restraining order issued pursuant to 40-4-121, an order issued pursuant to 40-4-126, or an order issued pursuant to Title 40, chapter 15, a member or payment recipient may revoke the designation and name different designated beneficiaries by filing with the board a new membership form provided by the board.
(3) If a person returns to covered employment in the same retirement system pursuant to 19-2-603, the person shall complete a new membership form and file it as provided in subsection (2). However, until the new membership form is filed, the board shall reference the membership form executed by the person prior to initial termination of membership for the same purposes as prior to termination. Beneficiaries designated on that membership form continue to be beneficiaries until the new membership form is filed.
(4) (a) Except as provided in subsections (4)(b) and (4)(c), the beneficiary designation on the most recent membership form filed with the board is effective for all purposes until the member retires.
(b) A member may elect to either override or retain the member's existing beneficiary designation when completing a membership form for temporary or secondary employment with another employer within the same Title 19 retirement system.
(c) When a member retires, the designated beneficiaries or contingent annuitants named on the retirement application become effective.
(5) If a statutory or designated beneficiary predeceases the member or payment recipient, the predeceased beneficiary's share must be paid to the remaining statutory or designated beneficiaries in amounts proportional to each remaining statutory or designated beneficiary's original share.
(6) A statutory or designated beneficiary who renounces an interest in the payment rights of a member or payment recipient will be considered, with respect to that interest, as having predeceased the member or payment recipient.
(7) A contingent annuitant of a retired member who elected option 2, 3, or 4 pursuant to 19-3-1501, 19-5-701, 19-7-1001, or 19-8-801 may not renounce the contingent annuitant's interest in the payment rights of the member.
History: En. 68-2401 by Sec. 47, Ch. 323, L. 1973; R.C.M. 1947, 68-2401(part); amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 496, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 154, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 26, Ch. 265, L. 1993; Sec. 19-3-1301, MCA 1991; redes. 19-2-801 by Sec. 238, Ch. 265, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 370, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 562, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 99, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 12, Ch. 429, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 283, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 99, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 178, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 248, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 131, L. 2021.