Right, and don't assume that a court (or the decedent's will) gets to decide. The plan provisions must be followed first.
On another matter, if the $$ goes to the estate of the deceased beneficiary, keep in mind that the estate is not a natural person and (therefore) cannot open (or roll to) an IRA.
Right. The actuary can help design something to accomplish this, probably much simpler. If tip documentation is "sketchy", you may be looking for trouble.