Ask Reg: Do I need to update retirement forms if nothing has changed?

The following is a question submitted by a reader to Federal Times columnist Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service and the resident expert on federal employee retirement issues.

A Fed Times reader asks:

“What I don’t understand is why I need to update my beneficiary form? [Either my] SF 2832 or 2828, but nothing has changed as far as my beneficiaries. It’s all is same.

I don’t need to update this form if everything’s the same, do I?”

Reg’s response:

No, you don’t need to update them if nothing has changed. The reason agencies ask for an update is because too often the name(s) an employee put on those forms when they entered federal service is not who they’d want to receive those benefits when they retire.

Federal Times columnist Reg Jones, photographed at his home in Hamilton, Va., on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (Mike Morones/Staff)

Got a question for the Federal Times expert? Send inquiries to: fedexperts@federaltimes.com

About Reg Jones

Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service, is our resident expert on retirement and the federal government. From 1979 to '95, he served as an assistant director of the Office of Personnel Management handling recruiting and examining, white and blue collar pay, retirement, insurance and other issues. Opinions expressed are his own.