​Note: The examples and case studies in this article are fictional but represent real situations I have encountered in my practice working with Washington State public employees.
I opened an email recently that stopped me mid-sip of coffee.
A client had just finished updating her will after her remarriage. Everything carefully reorganized, her new husband properly included, estate attorney fees paid. She felt relieved. Done.
Then she logged into her DRS account and saw it.
Her ex-husband's name. Still listed as the beneficiary on her PERS pension. From a form she'd filled out fifteen years ago when she first started with the state.
The will she'd just spent money updating? Wouldn't cover this.
What most people misunderstand about beneficiary forms
Here's what catches people off guard.
Your will is important. It controls a lot. But beneficiary designations work differently.
Think about what that means for Washington State public employees.
You have a DRS pension account. You have a DCP (457b) account. Maybe life insurance through work. Each one has its own beneficiary form.
If you're married and name someone other than your spouse as your beneficiary, retirement system laws may require DRS to pay your spouse anyway¹. Washington is a community property state with specific rules that vary by plan.
The beneficiary designation you filled out when you were hired? That's what DRS follows. Not what your will says. Not what you told your family. Not what you intended.
The form.
Why Washington public employees face unique complications
I sit across from state and city employees regularly. What I've noticed is this: they have more accounts with beneficiary designations than they realize.
PERS/LEOFF/other pension contributions. DCP accounts. PEBB life insurance. Sometimes additional voluntary life insurance.
Your DCP beneficiaries must be declared separately from any beneficiaries you may have selected for another plan or program, like a pension². Each account. Separate form. Separate designation.
One client I worked with had updated her will after her divorce. Removed her ex completely. But she'd forgotten about three separate beneficiary forms: her pension, her DCP, and her supplemental life insurance.
The will was perfect. The beneficiary forms? Still listed her ex-husband.
The specific times you need to check these forms
Most estate planning guidance suggests reviewing your estate plan regularly. But certain life events demand immediate attention.
Marriage or remarriage
If you marry in retirement, you have a one-time option to add your spouse as a survivor between your first and second year of marriage¹. Miss that window and it's permanent.
Before retirement? You can update anytime. But you have to actually do it.
Divorce or separation
Beneficiary designations don't automatically update. If you marry, divorce or have another significant change in your life, be sure to update your beneficiary designation because these life events might invalidate your previous choices³.
Birth or adoption of children
New parents are exhausted. I get it. I have two young kids myself.
But this matters. Especially for public employees with guaranteed pension benefits that could provide for children if something happens.
Death of your named beneficiary
If your survivor dies before you do, you can contact DRS to remove the survivor and increase your monthly benefit payments back to the single amount¹.
The same principle applies to beneficiaries who haven't been designated as survivors but were listed to receive remaining contributions.
What actually happens with your retirement accounts
Let me walk through how this works for Washington State public employees.
If a member passes before separating from their Washington public service position, their contribution balance plus interest will be paid out to their beneficiaries³.
But here's where it gets specific.
If you don't submit beneficiary information, any benefits due will be paid to your surviving spouse or minor child. If you don't have a surviving spouse or minor child, DRS will pay your estate¹.
That sounds like a safety net. And it is. But "estate" means probate. Delay. Legal fees. Court oversight.[GU1]  Potentially bad tax result.
Once you retire, the rules shift. If you select a survivor benefit option, within 90 days of receiving your first retirement payment, you can change your survivor selection. After 90 days, your survivor selection is permanent unless your survivor dies, you marry in retirement, or you want to remove a survivor who is not your spouse or registered domestic partner¹.
That 90-day window matters enormously.
How to get this right
The process isn't complicated. It just requires attention.
Start with an inventory
List every account that has a beneficiary designation. For Washington public employees, that typically includes DRS pension contributions, DCP (457b) accounts, PEBB life insurance, any supplemental life insurance through work, and personal IRAs or 401(k)s from previous employers.
Check each designation
You can update your beneficiary designation at any time by logging into your online DRS account³. The website is straightforward. Takes maybe ten minutes.
For DCP accounts specifically, you can update your beneficiaries online through drs.wa.gov or complete the paper form and mail it to DRS².
Coordinate with your will
Your beneficiary designations and your will should tell the same story. Not contradict each other.
If your will leaves everything to your spouse but your DCP lists your adult children, that creates confusion and potentially conflict for your family.
What to do this week
Not someday. This week.
Log into your DRS account. Review your current beneficiary designations. If you're married, make sure your spouse is properly listed (or that you both agree on a different arrangement with proper documentation).
Check your DCP account separately. Remember, it's a different designation than your pension.
If you have a will, pull it out. Compare what it says to what your beneficiary forms say. Look for conflicts.
If you find outdated information, update it immediately. The online process takes minutes.
This isn't exciting work. I know that. But it's the kind of detail that protects your family when it matters most.
Sources

1. Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. "Beneficiary information." February 29, 2024. https://www.drs.wa.gov/sitemap/beneficiary/
2. Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. "DCP Enrollment Guide." https://www.drs.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/DCP-Enrollment-Booklet.pdf
3. Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. "PERS Plan 2." June 25, 2021. https://www.drs.wa.gov/plan/pers2/​

​Note: The examples and case studies in this article are fictional but represent real situations I have encountered in my practice working with Washington State public employees.
The Discovery That Changed EverythingI was on a Zoom call with a new client when she said something that made me pause.
"I'm pretty sure my ex-husband is still listed as beneficiary on my TRS account," Sarah said. "We divorced seven years ago."
She'd remarried four years ago. Her current husband was on the Zoom call with her.
Sarah is a 58-year-old teacher with 28 years of service. She figured her basic will covered everything.
It didn't.
What Sarah WitnessedHer colleague David had passed away unexpectedly the previous year. What Sarah witnessed during his family's 18-month struggle through probate court opened her eyes.
The complications. The delays. The costs. The stress on top of grief.
Proper estate planning documents could have prevented all of it.
The Problem Most Public Employees MissMost estate planning advice treats Washington State employees like any other client.
That approach misses something critical.
You have unique pension benefits through DRS that have specific survivor rules and beneficiary requirements1. Your pension works differently than typical 401(k) accounts.
The generic estate planning template doesn't account for any of this. And beneficiary designations on your DRS accounts override your will entirely1.
The Five Documents That Actually MatterWashington State employees need five core estate planning documents that coordinate with your specific benefits.
Document 1: A Washington State-Specific WillYour will names guardians for minor children and ensures property not covered by beneficiary designations gets distributed according to your wishes2.
But Washington's community property laws and intestacy statutes have specific requirements2. A will drafted in another state or using generic online forms may not address Washington's unique legal landscape.
Document 2: Durable Power of Attorney for FinancesThis document authorizes someone you trust to handle your financial affairs if you become incapacitated3.
Think about it: You're 58, planning to retire at 60. You have a stroke. Your spouse needs access to your pension information, deferred compensation, and PEBB benefits.
Without proper power of attorney? Your family may need to go to court for conservatorship³ to gain legal authority to manage DRS accounts.
Document 3: Healthcare Directive and Medical Power of AttorneyIn Washington State, you can create advance directives that include both a healthcare directive (living will) and medical power of attorney⁴. These documents work together to ensure your medical wishes are followed if you become incapacitated.
Your healthcare directive should address how medical decisions interact with your PEBB coverage, especially if you're considering early retirement with COBRA continuation.
David's family faced difficult decisions about experimental treatments without clear guidance. They argued. They second-guessed. Nobody knew what David would have wanted.
Document 4: Beneficiary Designations Review and UpdatesThis is where most Washington State employees make critical mistakes.
Your DRS pension, deferred compensation, and PEBB life insurance transfer directly to named beneficiaries5. They completely bypass probate. They override your will.
Many employees haven't reviewed their beneficiary designations in years. Life changes like marriage, divorce, births, or deaths can make existing designations outdated5.
Sarah's ex-husband from her 2018 divorce was still listed as primary beneficiary. Her deferred compensation had no contingent beneficiary listed at all.
We spent the next hour updating everything. You can review and update your beneficiaries through your DRS online account5.
Document 5: Trust Documents (When Your Family Needs Them)Most Washington State employees won't hit the estate tax threshold. But trusts make sense for specific situations: minor children requiring asset protection, blended family situations, or beneficiaries who need financial guidance.
Sarah explored whether a trust might help ensure her TRS benefits are distributed according to her wishes if both she and her husband pass away while the children are young.
Sarah's TransformationBefore: Basic 2015 will, no power of attorney, outdated beneficiary designations, no healthcare directive.
After: Updated Washington-specific will, durable power of attorney for DRS and PEBB assets, combined healthcare directive, corrected beneficiary designations across all accounts.
The result: Sarah now knows her family won't face what David's family encountered.
What to Do NextStart with a document review. Locate all current estate documents. Access your DRS online account to review beneficiaries. List all your benefits: pension accounts, deferred compensation, PEBB life insurance.
Schedule a consultation with an estate planning attorney experienced with Washington State employee benefits. Not just any attorney. One who understands how DRS accounts work and community property rules.
Set calendar reminders for regular beneficiary reviews. Every four years minimum, or after any major life event.
The Bottom LineUnlike retirement planning, where you have years to course-correct, estate planning failures only become apparent when it's too late to fix them.
Your decades of public service have earned you valuable retirement benefits. These benefits deserve estate planning that addresses their unique characteristics.
The question isn't whether you need these documents. The question is whether you'll create them before your family needs them.
Sources1. Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. "Beneficiary information." https://www.drs.wa.gov/sitemap/beneficiary/
2. Washington Law Help. "Powers of attorney and advance directives." https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/topics/life-planning/powers-attorney-and-advance-directives
3. Washington State Courts. "Chapter 11.130 RCW: Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act." https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.130&full=true
4. End of Life Washington. "Advance Directives." https://endoflifewa.org/tools-for-planning/advance-directives/
5. Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. "Online Account." https://www.drs.wa.gov/account/