A participant may at any time designate or change the designation of one or more primary beneficiaries and one or more contingent beneficiaries to receive any lump-sum death benefit that may be payable under the plan. The beneficiary shall be designated on a form prescribed by the system that is received by the system before the participant’s death.
Chapter 12Beneficiary
Section § 27100
This rule allows someone to choose or change who will receive a one-time death payment from a plan at any time. The person named to receive this benefit must be recorded on a special form that's submitted before the individual passes away.
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Section § 27100.5
This law says that organizations like corporations, trusts, charities, parochial institutions, or public entities can be named as beneficiaries for certain benefits. However, they can't be named as beneficiaries for annuities, which are regular payments made over time, unless it's a specific type of trust described in another law (Section 26106.5).
A corporation, trust, charitable organization, parochial institution, or public entity may be designated as a beneficiary under this part, but shall not be designated as an annuity beneficiary, except a trust as defined in Section 26106.5.
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Section § 27101
If someone who is a participant in a benefit system dies without naming a beneficiary, any lump-sum death benefits owed will go to that person's estate.
In the event the participant dies without a valid beneficiary designation on file with the system, any lump-sum death benefit under this part shall be payable to the estate of the participant.
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Section § 27102
This section states that if there's a lump-sum death benefit to be paid, the rules from a specific part of the Probate Code will determine how it should be distributed. It also clarifies that being part of the plan is treated like having an insurance policy from 1985 onward when deciding who gets the benefits.
Part 5 (commencing with Section 220) of Division 2 of the Probate Code, when applicable, shall govern the distribution of any lump-sum death benefit payable under this part. In applying Part 5 (commencing with Section 220) of Division 2 of the Probate Code with respect to proceeds payable to a beneficiary, participation in the plan shall be considered as having the same status as an insurance policy issued after December 31, 1984.
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