---
title: "Build a death-benefit claim file from the plan papers"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/build-a-death-benefit-claim-file-from-the-trustee-papers/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A27-T1-R4-US"
practice_area: "Superannuation"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Build a death-benefit claim file from the plan papers

> Collect the designation, the plan's death-benefit clause, the date of death and the claimant's relationship as the papers state them. Do not decide the claim or a payout period.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/build-a-death-benefit-claim-file-from-the-trustee-papers/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Superannuation](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Collect the designation, the plan's death-benefit clause, the date of death and the claimant's relationship as the papers state them. Do not decide the claim or a payout period. |
| What the lawyer must review | Start with the designation made under the plan's procedures. The IRS beneficiary page distinguishes deaths in 2020 or later. An eligible designated beneficiary on that page is a spouse, a minor child, a disabled or chronically ill individual, or an individual not more than 10 years younger than the employee. A designated beneficiary who is not in that group follows the 10-year rule. The page also says the account must be emptied by the end of the tenth year after the year of death where that rule applies. Do not decide which rule applies. The plan administrator decides the claim under the plan, and 29 U.S.C. § 1104 requires the fiduciary to follow the plan documents insofar as they are consistent with ERISA. Opinion 512: the file list is not the determination. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Build a death-benefit claim file from the trustee papers](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/build-a-death-benefit-claim-file-from-the-trustee-papers.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Collect the designation, the plan's death-benefit clause, the date of death and the claimant's relationship as the papers state them. Do not decide the claim or a payout period.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Do not calculate a payout. The IRS worksheets were not opened.
- Do not treat an IRA that is not an ERISA plan as if the plan-administrator rules apply. Read what the account is.

## Sources

- [IRS, Retirement topics — Beneficiary](https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-beneficiary) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [29 U.S.C. § 1104, Fiduciary duties](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/1104) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Letter to a superannuation fund trustee requesting information and documents (Corporations Act s 1017C)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/information-request-to-super-fund-trustee-s1017c.md) | Letter | Yellow | A request to a superannuation fund trustee for the information a member or beneficiary reasonably needs to understand their benefit entitlements, plus copies of the trust deed, insurance policy and… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*