Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1940 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN run. MortlnierBrown Escmlt1ve R*oretawy Tcaoher fiettrermntSystem of Tsur Auetln, Terelr xn your letts thet Julia K. Froelloh Syrtem, with Alice Cabpa tll Juaet16, 1940, lvben by her, reading: sira my beneflaiq. to bo payable t6 Yours vary truly, /n/ Julia lL I!roell@h benotlolary~lekllae Camp;.* vsd that httei’ and on June El, lO(o, your~rqplar ohan- of bondi- e alaned by hotiraking the deelrrd ohaoge. 83, 1940, at Q!IS A.M., to her, and pn~ro~flb88 the noabor effsatuallyal!mn&<im oi June 18th. You have also furnlshsd us with o eepy I& an affi- Qavlt cede by Mm. '#.R. 90irlep, lderinlrntretrfxof the es- tate of the deoesaed, atatiag that ahe visits& Wbs T~oelleb .- 8 r Hon. Eortlmer Brown, Pago e at 11:OO o'clook 0x1the nlgkt of June 82116, ma tht at feast .~UPto that time tka latter wrlttan bp you oataining *ho change Of bsnsficlsryfor18had riotbeon dollverad to kar, m. affidavit further state@ that suah lettmr oontaining tha tom waB 6iven tc~the Effi5nt on Juno mtk, unopened upito that time. Es shall take tkeaa atetemontaee true end aa akowlug that t.210 letter oontefnizig tha tom #es never rea&ved by ~88 Froalloh Prior to her death, or if rooeivod by bar thet ahe waa unable to properly diapoaa of It. She was in the hoapltal where aka died prior to June 18th. Prom your lattrr wa GnAaratenA tket no optfolui I+ lootion VI88ml8 MAW the provlalons or Subaeotlon7, or sac+- tion El,~rtiol8 2922-1, Paron’s Cirll’~$tetutae, ati the mlr part of raid krtlde bewlw on tks ehango ot banoPialuy pwation la Subsection6 oi aeiA Seetloa 5, *nAlng e,afollowa: “Ehould a meaibarttonae ts be a teaahhar uobpt by Qoatk or retlrwwat uuder the ~ro~vfalona of tkfa Act, he ah011 ba paid 1~ iuLl the emount or tko sooumuletsd contribution8standlng'totholtxradlt cl kie inAividue1accroutrtin tha Toaoher Srvlog Fund.~ Should e membar &la b&ore retlraamnt,the eaiour;tof his scoum0.et.doontrlbutltiua stanAir& to the orsAlt of his inAlvtAua1 socouut akall ba paid se $TOvliled by 08 ,UWS oi Aoaoont WA Ale trlbutlon at Texaa unlgrcahs,baa AireateA the 8o- wgat ta bo paid ~Chorwfao~ Gevm (7) you8 sitar suck oeasation of aorvboa if no prevloue dm8nA h&8 been mada, any aooumuiatad aontrlbutionaSf a contributorshall be ratirrnedto &I6 or to hia heirs. ff the wntrlbutor oP.hls haira QaMot ,then be found, his aooPieylatcA eontributlom abe= ba rorieited to tke RetlrfizmitSyatom end crobitod to tha Fermnent Retireamt Shad.” TZ;efora adopted bY bh4~T~ckwr RetireSWpt sY*tU for the a64ignStionOf benaifoiatlaaWUteine th@ ltat*mnt tht $he me&.ere fill ~dm any daairad okawe af banaflaiarY08 tu fora praaaribadby the Systun, and 1'thatwaaa aash aha=a of ben4fieiary IS filed et~the office of thr Teaohu Ear*- mcpntSystem et Austin, Te-0, AUFIW w lifatim, it ahall ba void and o? no 9ffaQt." XISS Froelloti’aAoal~ntlcm WE* UPOn on4 of these fonsa. The d~si@8tiOn ~8s 'wt 4CknQW~4a%e~W her, neither tb form for arl&.iellY desfmtlw a banaWiarY t Bon. xortimer Brown, Pa&@ 3 mv? forohendw the banefiof4ry being equipwd \*ith eo``~- 6dgunt forma, but s~eoea baiag provided ior slgnaturrwtt- D1*8*4. WO have no 8PpOllate OOtWt d4018iOa on t&la partiouu- lu Aot concerning thiu point. It 18 8enarally aala that pro- oialons inserted In lnsurano4 po110148 governing the m4thod of ohanglng b4nefiolar8eo 4~ for the prokotlon a$ the fnaur- (8)~864; Wyatt va. enoe oompanisa. Adam4 'IO.Adama, 98 5. ii’. Wyatt, 65 3. 1:.(8) zoa. xt 18 81801170li 8etiea thatii an Insured do48 all he oan re4sonably do to ptmfect a ohon* of ~b4n4flolary during hi4 llratlma, than and in that evbnt,,it will b4 regard44 48 aocb%pllsh4d, 4~44 though th4 applio4tlon for aucb a change arrivea at th4 lnaumnoe company oifioa and th4 ohangs la indoraad upon th4 polioy after the daath of tb Inaur4d. Adam4 va. Adama, suprs~ Wyatt ta. Vy4tt, aupr4i Brown *a. Union Cantral Llf4 Ina. Co., 98 9. W. (13)662.. Xallsy va. YoDonald, 83 s. Vi. (Z) 414, and Beak ~a. Beok, 80 9. W. (8) ZM, (rule rucognlaed). 48 we raa6 theaa ma*u titeterm *all that the inauretdQan rwaonabl~ do* has nrrrenoo to what he 6811do after he hra determine4to make the ishang.. In the lnatant 0180, the lettrr writton by th4 msm- bar on June 18th &laolOsed her intaatlOn to aakr th4 ch4ng4 OS benatlofarpjust aa olearly 88 any inatrumnt could do. It ia our understandingthat the grnuinsnsas of that latter 18 ua- qusationsd. so far 44 th4 puaatlon oi lndloatlng~Mlaa FrorUoh*o wlahaa ia oonoarwd, the signing of the form preaorlbod br tha system rould have added nothing. The law elwaya atriver to look to the aubatanos rath4r than to tbs mor4 form. Thla db- @ea#e8 m-bar had aotu4lly plroad in ths hands OS tia Syatam 4 4ignrd ohrnge of b4noflolary. She died before the ?OZ% mailed by th4 $yat(upr44oh4d her haadr. Under thr Oiroumat4no48, it 14 OUT opinion that aho did all that MB n444844rY to make the ohang4 of benoiloiary and wo 4ecordingly en8WaT YOW W4atlOn in the sifirmtlro. It it3our aug(54atlonthat Mae Caapari b adriaed a few 64~4 in advance Of y0u.rintend*6 PWQ@nt Of t&e banefit to the adm!ni8tr4tirlX. Your8 vary truly