New Jersey Statutes Title 18A. Education 18A § 66-53.1

The designation of beneficiary by a member or retirant shall be made in writing on a form satisfactory to the retirement system, and filed with the retirement system. The member or retirant may, from time to time and without the consent of his death benefit designee, change the beneficiary by filing written notice of the change with the system on a form satisfactory to it. The new nomination will be effective on the date the notice, in proper form, is received by the system, and any prior nomination shall thereupon become void.

If more than one beneficiary is nominated and in such nomination the member or retirant has failed to specify their respective interests, the beneficiaries shall share equally. If any beneficiary predeceases the member or retirant, the interest of such beneficiary shall terminate and shall be shared equally by such of the beneficiaries as survive the member or retirant, unless the member or retirant has made written request to the contrary in his beneficiary nomination.

Any amounts due for which there is no beneficiary at the death of a member, retirant or beneficiary shall be payable to the estate of such member, retirant or beneficiary.

Except with regard to the payment of the member's accumulated deductions with regular interest and the payment, upon the death of (1) a retirant after attaining the age of 60 or receiving an allowance pursuant to section 18A:66-37, or (2) a member after attaining the age of 70 years, of the death benefits provided in sections 18A:66-36, 18A:66-37, 18A:66-41, 18A:66-42, and 18A:66-44, a member may elect, by making written request to the retirement system, that the whole or any part of his death benefits be made payable to his beneficiary either as a life annuity or in equal installments over a period of years specified in such election, and may alter such election from time to time during his lifetime by again making such written request. In the event of a change of beneficiary, any previous arrangement by the member or retirant under this paragraph shall be void. The election set forth in this paragraph shall not apply or be available when the beneficiary is an estate, or a corporation, partnership, association, institution, trustee or any fiduciary.

If, at the member's or retirant's death, an amount of death benefit would be payable to the beneficiary in a single sum, any election with regard to such amount which was available to the member or retirant immediately prior to his death in accordance with the provisions of the immediately preceding paragraph shall then be available to such beneficiary for the benefit of such beneficiary.