Eligible Survivor if You Die Before Your Benefit Commencement Date

MMC Benefits Handbook

In the event of your death before your Benefit Commencement Date, a survivor benefit will be paid to your eligible survivor if you had a vested Accrued Benefit

An Eligible Survivor is a:

Spouse to whom you have been married for at least twelve consecutive months at the time of your death, or

Domestic Partner.

If you are not married and do not have a Domestic Partner, are married to a Spouse for fewer than twelve consecutive months at the time of your death, have a partner but do not meet the Domestic Partner requirements as defined by the Plan or do not have a vested Accrued Benefit in the Plan, the Plan does not pay a benefit upon your death. However, if you are married to a Spouse for fewer than twelve consecutive months at the time of your death, your Spouse can qualify as your Domestic Partner if he or she can substantiate that a domestic partnership existed at the time of your death. See "Criteria for Establishing a Domestic Partnership" for details.

Spouse

A Spouse is a federally recognized spouse. A federally recognized spouse is a person to whom you are married as evidenced by a marriage license from a US state or local authority.

Domestic Partner

For the purpose of qualifying for a survivor benefit under the Plan, a Domestic Partner is a partner of the same or opposite sex with whom you have been registered as Domestic Partners in accordance with the requirements of a city, state, or municipality that recognizes domestic partnerships (or a similar relationship, for example, civil unions), for at least 12 months.

If you are not registered as Domestic Partners or have been registered for fewer than 12 months, your partner can qualify as your Domestic Partner for the purpose of qualifying for a survivor benefit if he or she can substantiate that you both satisfied all of the following criteria:

You were both at least age 18 when you entered into the relationship.

Neither of you were married to or were the Domestic Partner of any other person during the previous 12 months.

You were not related by blood to a degree of closeness that would prohibit marriage under applicable US state law.

You were in an exclusive, committed relationship that has existed for at least 12 months which was intended to be permanent.

You had mutually agreed to be responsible for each other's common welfare.

You had resided together for at least the previous 12 months, and had intended to do so permanently.

Criteria for Establishing a Domestic Partnership

To substantiate your domestic partnership, your surviving partner must provide a copy of a government issued document showing that you and your Domestic Partner had been registered with a government body as Domestic Partners for at least 12 months prior to your date of death.

If you were (i) not registered as Domestic Partners at the time of your death, (ii) had been registered for less than 12 months at the time of your death, or (iii) had been married to a Spouse for less than 12 months at the time of your death, your surviving partner, or Spouse must complete the US Retirement Program Domestic Partner Verification Form and submit it with the documents listed in the chart to HR Services.

If you currently have a Domestic Partner or enter into a domestic partnership in the future, be sure to inform your Domestic Partner of his or her potential benefits under the Plan and advise him or her to contact the Plan as soon as possible in the event of your death.

Documentation for Substantiating the Criteria for Establishing a Domestic Partner


Criteria	Required Documentation
You are both at least age 18	Participant's birth or death certificate and individual's birth certificate; or Participant and individual's US Passport.
Neither of you are currently nor have been married or the Domestic Partner of any other person for at least the previous 12 months	Completed and notarized Affidavit of Domestic Partnership*.
You are not related by blood to a degree of closeness that would prohibit marriage under applicable US state law	Completed and notarized Affidavit of Domestic Partnership*.
You are in an exclusive, committed relationship that has existed for at least 12 months and is intended to be permanent	Completed and notarized Affidavit of Domestic Partnership*.
You have mutually agreed to be responsible for each other's common welfare	Evidence of a joint debt (e.g., mortgage/lease/loan entered into by both the participant and individual 12 months prior to the date of death, loan invoice for 12 months prior to the date of death); or Evidence of a joint asset (e.g., monthly bank/brokerage statements for the 12 months prior to the date of death ); or Designation of one by the other as beneficiary for life insurance and/or retirement benefits in effect throughout the 12 months prior to the date of death.
You have resided together for at least the previous 12 months, and you intend to do so permanently	Participant and individual's driver's licenses or other government identification issued at least 12 months prior to the date of death showing the same address; or Correspondence (e.g., utility bill) addressed to the participant and individual dated at least 12 months prior to the date of death showing the same address.

* The Affidavit of Domestic Partnership can be found within the US Retirement Program Domestic Partner Verification Form. To obtain a form, go to Colleague Connect (https://mmcglobal.sharepoint.com/sites/Home), click Pay & Benefits and under Find a document, select Search all documents.