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Marital Status and Beneficiary Change

​​If You Change Your Name

If you change your name as a result of marriage or divorce, you must submit a copy of your new Social Security card, a valid Kentucky driver's license, Medicare card, a marriage certificate, or a divorce decree along with a written request to change your name. Marriage and divorce are also Qualifying Events for the purposes of health insurance.

Marriage/Remarriage and Beneficiary/Payment Change

After the first day of the month in which a retired member receives their first retirement payment, a retired member may not change their payment option or account beneficiary designation except under limited circumstances as outlined in Kentucky Revised Statute 61.542

A retired member receiving a monthly retirement allowance under the Basic/Annuity, Life with 10 Years Certain, Life with 15 Years Certain, Life with 20 Years Certain, and Social Security Adjustment Option without Survivor Benefits may elect to change their account beneficiary at any time by completing Form 6036,  Beneficiary Designation Change. Retired members should log into their Self Service account to initiate the process to change their beneficiary by completing the Form 6036 online. Making this beneficiary change does not change the payment option selected at retirement.

Any member who marries or remarries on or after 6/29/2021 may provide a monthly survivorship benefit to their new spouse by designating the new spouse as a beneficiary within 120 days of the Qualifying Event. A form 6035, Beneficiary and Payment Option Change, must be filed by logging in to Self Service, and the form must be accompanied by the spouse's date of birth verification and a copy of the marriage certificate uploaded to the account to initiate this change. Acceptable forms of date-of-birth verification include a copy of any of the following: birth certificate, state-issued driver's license; U.S. Passport, Military ID or Discharge; or Immigration and Naturalization records. Retired members should log into their Self Service account to initiate the process to designate a new spouse as a beneficiary and elect to change payment option.​

Any new survivorship payment option shall be actuarially equivalent to the monthly payment option the member was receiving prior to the change and shall not impact any other benefits otherwise payable to an alternate payee under a valid Qualified Domestic Relations Order already on file at the retirement office.

Additional Resources


If You Divorce

You must notify KPPA when you divorce if you have named your ex-spouse as beneficiary or have them covered by insurance through KPPA. A final divorce decree voids the designation of a spouse as beneficiary and terminates the ex-spouse’s eligibility as a dependent on health insurance coverage. If the divorce occurs after the first day of the month in which you receive your first payment your estate becomes the beneficiary of the account.

If the ex-spouse is the named beneficiary of the death benefit, the Form 6030 - Death Benefit Designation, must be completed again following the date of divorce, or the estate will become the beneficiary of the payment when it is issued.

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDRO)

KPPA is now accepting and enforcing QDROs (get QRDO forms here) that are submitted in accordance with Kentucky Revised Statute 61.690 and Kentucky Administrative Regulation 105 KAR 1:190. QDROs will only be accepted if they are on the Form incorporated by reference to the administrative regulation. The Kentucky Public Pensions Authority cannot accept any QDROs that are not on the form provided by KPPA.

If you have a QDRO that is not on a form provided by KPPA, you must return to court and obtain a new QDRO that is on the form provided by KPPA. Otherwise, your QDRO cannot be accepted or enforced. QDROs will only be administered prospectively and KPPA will not be responsible for collecting any payments that are delinquent at the time KPPA accepts the QDRO. QDRO documents have a filing fee.

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders that were accepted by KPPA for enforcement prior to July 15, 2000 will not be affected by Kentucky Revised Statute 61.690 and no action is necessary for those Orders to remain in effect.

The alternate payee of a QDRO is not eligible to enroll for health insurance coverage through KPPA.​


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