Reliance on plan documents does not solve all beneficiary designation problems: three illustrative cases
Steptoe LLP
MEMBER FIRM OF
Not long ago, the Supreme Court decided that administrators of ERISA-covered plans should not have to consult any source other than documents in their possession (such as the terms of the plan, beneficiary designations, and qualified domestic relations orders duly submitted to the plan) to determine who was entitled to benefits upon a participant's death.
