Church Pension Group | If You Die Before You Retire

If You Die Before You Retire

Preretirement Survivor Benefit

If you die before you retire, your eligible spouse will receive a monthly preretirement survivor benefit for life if:

  • You were an Active member in the Plan and died on or after reaching age 55; or
  • You ended employment with a participating employer on or after reaching age 55 and were entitled to a vested benefit.

An eligible spouse is the person to whom you were legally married at the time of death and for at least 12 months prior to your death. If you do not have an eligible spouse at the time of your death, no preretirement survivor benefit will be payable from the Plan.

If You Die During Qualified Military Service
Special provisions may apply. Please contact our Client Services group at (866) 802-6333 or benefits@cpg.org for information.

An eligible spouse’s preretirement survivor benefit will be determined as follows:

Lump Sum Death Benefit (If You Die Prior to Retirement)

If you are an Active member in the Plan and die before you retire (regardless of your age at the time of death), then your designated beneficiary(ies) is eligible to receive a benefit from The Episcopal Church Lay Employees’ Death Benefit Plan (the Death Benefit Plan).

The lump sum death benefit payable from the Death Benefit Plan is equal to two times your Earnings, up to a maximum of $50,000.

Beneficiary Information: Be sure to complete a beneficiary designation form for the lump sum death benefit when you first become a member of the Plan and update your beneficiary information as needed throughout your career. It is important that beneficiary information (including contact information) be kept up to date. If you name your spouse as a beneficiary, your spouse will remain your beneficiary even if you subsequently divorce or legally separate, unless you designate a new beneficiary, or revoke your designation in writing.

If you do not name a beneficiary, the Death Benefit Plan provides that the following will be your default beneficiary(ies):

  1. Your spouse; or
  2. If you were not married, your children; or
  3. If you were not married and had no children, your estate.