Beneficiary designations are one of those things that most employees fill out when they're first employed and never think about much after that. But most people don't know that these designations are extremely powerful. They will overrule a will or other estate documents every time. This means that regardless of what you put in your will, once you die your benefits will go to exactly who is on your beneficiary designations. Even if this means that your benefits go to a former spouse. This has been upheld in many court cases as well.
It is important to consistently review your designations, especially after a life event. Things like a birth, adoption, death, marriage, divorce, or any other significant change within your family. You may change your designation as many times as needed.
Key designations to think about are those for your TSP, your group life insurance, and your pension. Speak to your agency to get the correct forms for these designations.
If there are no designations on file then your benefits will be paid according to law. This generally goes to your spouse first, then to your children in equal shares, then to your parents in equal shares, and finally to your estate.
Putting in a little effort now to make sure these are correct can save tremendous amounts of problems and heartache download for your family.