Form 2FR - Designating Beneficiary(ies) for the FRSWPF

When you enroll in the Firefighters' and Rescue Squad Workers' Pension Fund, we strongly recommend you take time to designate beneficiary(ies) for your benefits and contributions. If something happens to you, the payout of your benefits is governed by the beneficiary designation on file. In most cases, payouts are not made based on the relationship of the beneficiary to the deceased member at the time of death.

We recommend you complete Form 2FR (Designating Beneficiary(ies) for the Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund) as soon as possible and email it to Specialty.Plans@nctreasurer.com.

Recent legislative updates modified the statute for the Line of Duty Death Benefit program determined by the Industrial Commission and paid by North Carolina Retirement Systems (G.S. 143-166.2) to expand the definition of “killed in the line of duty” to include firefighters who die from oral cavity cancer or a pharynx cancer. (S105v8.pdf (ncleg.gov))

Major life events require a review of your benefits. This includes a new marriage or partnership, divorce or break-up, birth or adoption, and the death of named beneficiaries. It is an unfortunate truth, but we have seen members who have not named or updated their beneficiaries. If something happens to you tomorrow and you have not updated your beneficiary, your benefit may be paid to a former spouse or partner, delayed and paid to your estate, or your beneficiary may be determined for you by state or federal law.

Naming a beneficiary for benefits is not exclusive to the North Carolina Retirement Systems and we encourage you to review all your accounts, such as life insurance, savings and checking, and supplemental retirement accounts (like the NC 401(k) and NC 457 Plans) – to name a few.