CASE IN POINT……
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!