Effective March 16, 2020, the Fund office is closed to the public. As such, the Fund cannot provide notarization services to participants for Beneficiary Designation forms. Until further notice, the Fund will accept non-notarized Beneficiary Designation Forms, so long as valid proof of government issued identification such as a Driver’s License or Passport is provided.

Beneficiary Overview

In accordance with the AFM Collective Bargaining Agreement, a Participating Musician may name a beneficiary of his/her choosing to receive residual payments collected on account of the Musician following his/her death.

Participating Musicians are strongly urged to complete a Beneficiary Designation Form provided by the Fund in order to implement the Musician's wishes after his/her death. A copy of the Beneficiary Form with interactive fields can be accessed HERE.

Participating Musicians in the Los Angeles area may schedule an appointment with the Fund to have their forms notarized at the Fund's office in Encino, free of charge. To schedule an appointment, please call the office at 818.647.7345.

BENEFICIARY CONFIRMATION PROCESS

The Fund relies primarily upon family and friends to notify us that a Musician has passed away. Once the Fund is notified, the Fund begins to gather the information and paperwork needed to establish the correct beneficiary.

In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, if the Musician completed a Beneficiary Designation Form with the Fund prior to his/her death, the Fund follows the Musician's wishes as specified on the Beneficiary Designation Form. If the Musician did not complete a Beneficiary Designation Form and return it to the Fund before his/her death, the Fund will conduct research to determine if the Musician has a living spouse. The Fund will require at a minimum: (1) a death certificate, (2) a marriage certificate, (3) a form of identification verifying the spouse's identity, and (4) an affadavit signed and notarized by the spouse confirming that the Musician and the spouse were still legally married at the time of the Musician's death.

If there is no Beneficiary Designation Form and there is no living spouse at the time of the Musician's death, the Fund will request copies of the Musician's wills, trust documents or any other estate planning documents to establish the correct beneficiary to the residual payments. In such cases, if Probate has been commenced for the Musician's estate, it is the Fund's policy to wait until Probate is finalized to confirm the beneficiary entitled to receive the residual payments.

To avoid confusion and ensure that the Participating Musician's wishes are clear and unambiguous, the Fund strongly urges every Participating Musician to specifically name the individual(s) that he/she wishes to receive residuals after his/her death on the Beneficiary Designation Form provided by the Fund. Participant Musicians are allowed to update their beneficiary designation(s) any time prior to their death. The Fund will use the most recent Beneficiary Form submitted.

For further information on the Fund's Beneficiary Policies, including the Beneficiary Assignment Policy, please click HERE.

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Ron Yungul, Site Manager