When did you last update your beneficiaries?
Life is uncertain and changes will occur. When changes occur, your beneficiary choices may need to be updated. It is very important to ensure beneficiaries for your life insurance and retirement benefits are designated and up to date. This gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your assets will be distributed to the person(s) of your choosing. Naming your beneficiaries and putting essential documents in place puts you in control and can make a difference for the people and causes you care about. You can change your beneficiaries at any time throughout the year. Don’t delay- it only takes a couple of minutes!
- Eliminate confusion about what should be done with your hard-earned money or insurance proceeds.
- Save time -- without a beneficiary, there may be a delay in transferring funds.
- Give your loved one peace of mind and a sense of financial wellness
Update or Review Your Beneficiary
Act now and review your beneficiaries for the following benefits (if applicable):
- Basic Life
- Supplemental Life
- Teachers Retirement System (TRS) 401(a)
- TIAA 403(b)
- TIAA 457(b)
Life Insurance
Log on to HR Connection through your MyUAH page and select "Enroll or View your Benefits Now". You will be routed to BenefitFocus through Single Sign-on. Select Manage Beneficiaries under the Manage Account Header on the left panel of the screen to update your Life Insurance and AD&D beneficiaries.
If you have a voluntary life policy, be sure to designate a beneficiary for both your basic university provided policy as well as your voluntary policy.
Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
Teachers Retirement System 401(a) Pension Plan participants can view their beneficiary through your Member Online Services (MOS) account or contact TRS to confirm the beneficiary designation on record. If you need to make a change or update your beneficiary, you will need to complete and return the Designation of Beneficiary Prior to Retirement form to TRS. This form requires notarization. You may contact the benefits team to schedule a time to have this form notarized.
TIAA
Access your TIAA Plan Focus account through your MyUAH page. You can find the TIAA link under the Human Resources category. Select the TIAA link to be directed to your individual TIAA Plan Focus account. Once logged in, under the Actions tab, choose Add/Edit Beneficiaries. From there, you can designate and select how much each should receive. It is important to remember that Retirement plan assets will be transferred according to the terms of your plan’s beneficiary designation, not by the terms of your will. If there’s no named beneficiary, fulfilling your wishes may face significant delays and costs.
If you have multiple retirement accounts, such as a 403(b) and 457(b), a separate beneficiary designation must be made for each account.
The Life Services Toolkit
The Standard offers all benefit eligible employee’s free resources and tools to support you and your beneficiary. Follow this link to learn more about the Life services Toolkit.
- Estate Planning Assistance
- Financial Planning
- Identity Theft Prevention
- Funeral Arrangement Assistance
Who to contact with questions
Please contact Benefits at 256-824-6640 or Benefits@UAH.edu with any questions about designating Life Insurance beneficiaries.
For questions regarding TRS Pension Plan, please contact Retirement Systems of Alabama at 334-517-7000.
For questions regarding 403(b) or 457(b), please contact the TIAA customer support team at 800-842-2252.
Learn More!
Please see the UAH Benefits Eligibility Matrix to determine benefits you are eligible for.
Visit the UAH Benefits webpage to learn more about your benefits.
