Recently there was a case referred
to the Trustee Board where a member had died in service
without completing an Expression of Wish form or leaving
a will.
The member was separated from his spouse and left non-dependant
children.
To whom should the death in service benefit be paid, if
anyone? This was a difficult decision for the Directors
to make as they could not be sure what the member would
have wanted, they did not know what his relationship was
with either his spouse or his children. Investigation
was made and although the evidence was not conclusive,
the Directors made a decision based on what information
was available.
The final decision as to who benefits are payable to will
always be made by the Trustee Board but wherever possible
members wishes will be taken into account. As detailed
in case study above it is not always easy to determine
what those wishes are without having an up-to-date Expression
of Wish form to refer to!
