Participant died without a valid beneficiary designation; the Thrift Plan document provided for distribution of benefits to various relatives. The Plan Administrator interpreted the term "children" as used in the plan to mean biological or legally adopted children. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the district court erred when it set aside the Plan Administrator's decision and granted judgment for the deceased's stepchildren, because (1) the Plan Administrator's interpretation of the term "children" was legally correct; and (2) nothing in the plan or ERISA required the Plan Administrator to incorporate the concept of equitable adoption into the plan's definition of "children." [Herring v. Campbell, 5th Cir. No. 11-40953 (August 7, 2012)]  MORE >>