HOW TO: PLAN FOR LOVED ONES
OMERS is committed to providing a sustainable, affordable and meaningful defined benefit pension plan for generations to come. Part of this commitment is providing a secure future for members and their survivors. Survivor benefits are just one way that OMERS supports you and your loved ones.
When an OMERS member dies, survivor benefits are payable based on an order of entitlement. A member’s “eligible spouse” is first in line for survivor benefits as long as the couple was not living separate and apart, and the spouse did not waive their rights to survivor benefits.
For the defined benefit provisions, OMERS provides benefits in the following order of entitlement:
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An eligible legal or common-law spouse is first in line for survivor benefits.
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If there is no eligible spouse, a benefit may be paid to any eligible dependent children.
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If there is no eligible spouse or children, the beneficiary on file with OMERS may be entitled to a refund.
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If there is no beneficiary on file with OMERS, any refund would be paid to the member's estate.
OMERS provides peace of mind for you and those who rely on you. With recent improvements to the survivor benefit process, OMERS is currently accepting supporting documents as a preliminary determination for disabled children prior to a member’s death. Now you can plan with confidence knowing that your child(ren) will be taken care of. For more details, please contact Member Services.
When applying for an OMERS survivor benefit, supporting documents and forms are needed to process the claim. Learn about the supporting documents we will accept or read more about Planning for Loved Ones on omers.com.
Sign in to myOMERS to review and update your beneficiary information.
Go to the left-hand menu and click on My Info. Then click on Beneficiary Information.
You can designate or change your beneficiary for the OMERS Primary Pension Plan (Plan), including the Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) provision and the Retirement Compensation Arrangement (RCA) for the Plan. This designation applies to all Plan and RCA memberships and revokes any previous Plan and RCA beneficiary designation(s).