Beneficiary Information

What is a Beneficiary?

A beneficiary is the person or entity named in a life insurance policy, retirement plan or health savings account. This is the person that receives the benefit upon death. The beneficiary designation on file at the time of death is binding in the payment of your benefits.

Whenever you have a life event, such as a marriage, divorce or birth of a child, review and update your beneficiary designations. Beneficiary designations can be changed at any time.

Links to the vendor’s online portals and paper forms can be found below. Send completed forms directly to the benefit plan vendor (not to your human resources office). The appropriate address can be found on each form.

Retain a copy of the beneficiary designation forms for your records (the Universities of Wisconsin does not process or retain the forms).

If you do not have a beneficiary designation on file, benefits will be paid in the order of “Statutory Standard Sequence” (a Wisconsin State law):

  • Employee’s surviving spouse or domestic partner, otherwise;
  • Employee’s surviving child(ren) equally, otherwise;
  • Employee’s surviving parent(s) equally, otherwise;
  • Employee’s surviving sibling(s) equally, otherwise;
  • Employee’s estate.

All claims associated with the death of a covered family member will be paid to the employee.

Plans with Beneficiary Designations

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WRS, State Group Life Insurance and Accident Insurance share the same beneficiary designations. You may complete one form that applies to all benefit plans or separate forms for each plan.

To review who you have named as your beneficiary review your WRS Statement of Benefits. Primary beneficiary(ies) are listed on your WRS Statement of Benefits. If there are no beneficiaries listed, you either don’t have a beneficiary designation on file, or your designation was made before 1998 (beneficiaries added before 1998 are not listed on your statement). It is recommended that you complete a Beneficiary Designation Form if a beneficiary is not listed on your statement.

State Group Life Insurance Policy Number: 2832-G
Accident Insurance Policy Number: 76038

Once enrolled, beneficiary designations can be made online or by paper. *

Group Policy Number: 32871-G

To review who you have named as your beneficiary log into the LifeBenefits portal.

* Employees who enrolled in Individual & Family Life Insurance through the enhanced enrollment held during Annual Benefits Enrollment, will receive information from Securian in mid-January 2025 on how to name a beneficiary.

Once enrolled, beneficiary designations can be made by paper.

  • Complete a Beneficiary Designation Formpdf.
    • *Mail completed form to: Universities of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources, 780 Regent St, Suite 300, Madison, WI 53715

Group Policy Number: GTU 8364005

*For annuitants who continued their AD&D Insurance coverage after retirement, mail the completed beneficiary form to the plan broker: Hausmann Group, P.O. Box 259408, Madison, WI 53725-9408

Accident Insurance, WRS, and State Group Life Insurance share the same beneficiary designations. Employees have the option to complete one of two forms.

Accident Insurance Policy Number: 76038

Once enrolled, beneficiary designations can be completed and submitted online or by paper.

  • Name your beneficiary online with the plan administrator, Optum, through the Optum website OR
  • Complete a paper HSA Designation of Beneficiary Form.
    • Mail completed form to: Optum Financial, PO Box 85960, 6300 Wayne Road, Westland, MI 48185.
    • Upload completed form as a PDF document to: forms.optumfinancial.com

To review who you have named as your beneficiary log into the Optum website.

Once enrolled, TIAA and Fidelity participants can update beneficiary designations online.

If you are not able to designate your beneficiary online account contact your 403(b) recordkeeper(s) to obtain a beneficiary designation form.

Current Recordkeeper Contact Information:

Frozen Recordkeeper Contact Information:

To review who you have named as your beneficiary log into your online account or contact your 403(b) recordkeeper(s)

Once enrolled, beneficiary designations can be made online or by paper. The recordkeeper for the Wisconsin Deferred Compensation (WDC) program is Empower. 

  • After you enroll, a password is mailed to the address on file. Use your social security number (username) and this password to access your account online at www.wdc457.org.
  • Complete a Beneficiary Designation Form 
    • Mail completed form to: Empower, PO Box 173764, Denver, CO 80217-3764
    • Fax to: (866) 745-5766.

To review who you have named as your beneficiary log into your online account or contact Empower.

Check Your Benefit Plans with Beneficiaries

To see which benefit plans you are currently enrolled in that have benefits payable to beneficiaries:

  • From the Menu in the upper left go to Personal, then select Benefits and Pay.
  • In the Suggested Links select, My Insurance Benefits to access the benefits enrollment system.

Every effort has been made to ensure this information is current and correct. Information on this page does not guarantee enrollment, benefits and/or the ability to make changes to your benefits.