The Fund wants to be able to provide you and your beneficiaries with your retirement benefits. Naturally, your current name and social security number are needed to help us identify you. By providing us with your home address, telephone number and email address, we can keep you up-to-date on your benefits and any changes that occur. Keeping your marital status, beneficiary name(s) and address(es) up-to-date allows us to pay benefits to those you wish to provide for at your death.
 

To make beneficiary changes, you can download Designation of Beneficiary. Once you have it filled out and notarized, send it to the Fund. Until your new beneficiary designation is accepted by the Fund, your choice has not been legally completed.

If you turn age 35, are married and previously designated someone other than your spouse as your beneficiary, you must resubmit a Designation of Beneficiary with notarized consent from your spouse.

NOTE: Federal law imposes strict rules for married employees designating beneficiaries other than their spouses. The employee must have notarized consent from their spouse if the spouse is not the only beneficiary.
 

If you change your marital status, the Fund needs to know. Federal laws impose strict rules in the distribution of benefits to beneficiaries for married couples. Calling us at 800-RET-YMCA is the quickest way to find out which forms you will need to fill out to update your file. For more information, see Divorce.
 

If you change your name, send the Fund a Change of Name form.
 

The Fund needs to be aware of where you live so it can send you updates on your benefits. Whenever you move, marry, divorce, or change your email address, let us know. This is especially important if you leave YMCA employment.
 

Contact the Customer Service Department at 800-738-9622 and inform the Fund. After discussing your wishes, the Fund will determine if you need to fill out a new Designation of Beneficiary.
 

Your beneficiary is listed on your most recent annual Benefits Statement. You can also call the Customer Service Department at 800-RET-YMCA for the information.
 

If you have already started your annuity and cashed your first check, the answer is no.

For Joint & Survivor annuities, we use the life expectancies of both the Plan participant and the individual named to be their survivor when we calculate the annuity. Allowing a retiree to change the chosen survivor, due to divorce, death or other changes in circumstance, would affect the Plan and its funding for these annuities. Following the norm for other pension plans, our Plan rules do not allow for a recalculation of an annuity due to such changes.

Here's a nuance: Although the named survivor cannot be changed after the first annuity check has been cashed, the beneficiary of the Retired Death Benefit can be changed at any time. This is because the Retired Death Benefit is not calculated based on the beneficiary's age.