WHAT TO DO WHEN A LOVED ONE DIES:

  GUIDE TO APPLYING FOR FEDERAL SURVIVOR BENEFITS

BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO SURVIVORS 

As a retired Federal employee, monetary benefits are available to my survivor (s).  These benefits include: 1) a lump sum payment of my final month’s annuity; 2) a continuing monthly benefit; and 3) your Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance proceeds; and 4) proceeds from your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).  Social Security survivor benefits may also be available depending on individual circumstances.

 HELP YOUR SURVIVOR while she/he is still your SPOUSE!  Approximately 75 percent of all survivor benefits are paid to widows.  However, an increasing percent are being paid to widowers.

 Make certain your spouse, designated survivor (s), and estate executor knows about entitlement to survivor benefits.  As a minimum, keep these individuals informed of the following:

This Guide provides information for applying for survivor benefits and a reference to let your survivor (s) and estate Executors know about your personal affairs.  Informing your survivor (s) and executor of the location of important papers, including this Guide with your Retirement Claim Number and Social Security Number included will save your loved ones time, energy, and worry.

 There are many checklists available which outline in greater detail all the information and actions to be done in case of serious illness or death.  Choose any checklist that you and your spouse find satisfactory and USE IT!  The information in this Guide is specific for that portion of your affairs that are the result of your status as a Federal Annuitant.

ACTIONS NEEDED WHEN THE ANNUITANT DIES

Notify OPM immediately.  Usually, the best way is to call at 202.606.0500 or  1.888.767.6738.  The telephone is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The automatic answering system guides a person through the menu offering an opportunity to report a death without waiting to speak to a Customer Service Specialist.  Between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), callers may stay on the line and speak to a Specialist.  The person reporting the death should be prepared to provide the following information:

INFORMATION REQUIRED:

Full name of the Decedent: _______________________________________

Retirement Claim Number: _____________________________                             

Social Security Number of Decedent: _________________________

Date of Birth: __________________

Date of Death: ____________________

Name of the Person Reporting the Death: _____________________

Survivor’s Social Security Number: __________________

Address of the Person Reporting the Death: ______________________________

Telephone Number of the Person Reporting the Death: ____________________

The death can also be reported in writing.  Your survivors should provide the above information plus a copy of the death certificate, if available, (if the death certificate is not available, it can be provided at a later date when submitting application for death benefits) to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Retirement Operations Center

P.O. Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017-0045

The following Notification of Annuitant’s Death form letter may be used for reporting the death in writing.  Just print the form letter, complete the form, and send to the listed OPM address.

A death may also be reported via the Internet to:  OPM  This link takes you to the OPM Index Page, from which you can further search their site for the information that you need.  The OPM site appears to be blocked to any links from other web sites.

 As soon as OPM hears of the death, they will stop annuity payment and send Standard Form 2800, Application for Death Benefits, to the person who appears to be entitled to death benefits.  If Federal Employee’s Group Life Insurance is payable, OPM will also send an application for that benefit.  They will have this information in their records.  If you are due a life insurance payment and you do not receive an application for this benefit, contact them again.

 To avoid any violation of law, all checks not cashed before death must be returned to:

Director, Regional Financial Center

U.S. Treasury Department

P.O. Box 7367

Chicago, IL 60680-7367

A statement reporting the death should be included or written across the face of the returned check.  If annuity payments are being deposited directly into a financial institution, the survivor should immediately notify the institution of the death.

If Thrift Savings Plan benefits are available, a form TSP-17, Information Relating to Deceased Participants, must be submitted together with a copy of the Certificate of Death to:

TSP Service Office

National Finance Center

PO Box 61500

New Orleans, LA 70161-1500

TSP-17 may be obtained by writing to the TSP Service Office at the above address or by contacting them at 504.255.8777 or at their TSP Web Site: This Web site provides valuable information about payment of benefits, forms, publications, and calculators. [Note: If you get a "Name and Password Required"  message, click the "Cancel" button and the page will probably load OK.  If it doesn't, use the OPM link above and navigate from there.]   Once the beneficiaries have been determined, the TSP Service Office will provide them with information about death benefit payments and a tax notice.  Payments are made between 45 and 60 days after the notices to the beneficiaries.

 FACTS TO REMEMBER REGARDING RETIREE’S ANNUITY

FACT TO REMEMBER REGARDING SURVIVOR’S ANNUITY

A survivor’s annuity (i.e., the surviving spouse of a Federal retiree) is for whole months only.  There is not a benefit for the final month unless the survivor dies on the last day of the month.  A Certificate of Death is usually not needed by OPM in conjunction with a survivor’s death.

RELATED INFORMATION AND PUBLICATIONS

Informational pamphlets with valuable information can be obtained by calling or writing to OPM at the above address or telephone number and providing your Retirement Claim Number and date of birth.  These and many other informational publications are also available for downloading from the OPM Retiree Web Site at; http://www.opm.gov    [Same note as above re: page loading].  This web site is filled with a large variety of information for your perusal.  The publications and the downloading of information are available free of charge.  

PUBLICATION NAME  and TITLE NUMBER

Information for Annuitants on the Civil Service Retirement System: RI 20-59

Information for Survivor Annuitants: RI 25-26

Information for Retirees About the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program: RI 76-12

Information for Retirees and Survivor Annuitants About the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: RI 79-2

NOTIFICATION OF ANNUITANT’S DEATH

FROM:  ________________________________

            (Full name of survivor, executor, etc.)

                 ________________________________

                (First line of address)

                 ________________________________

                (City, State, & Zip Code)

            ____________________________

             (Date)

TO:         U.S. Office of Personnel Management

                Retirement Operations Center

                P.O. Box 45

                Boyers, PA 16017-0045

To Whom It May Concern: ________________________________ (Name of Annuitant/Decedent)

died on ________________________________  

 The retirement claim number of the decedent is __________________.  Social Security Number of the decedent is __________________________.

 Please send claim forms to me at the above address.  I am the (check all that apply):

                 ___________      Widow

                ___________      Widower

                ___________      Child

                ___________      Executor

                ___________      Designated Beneficiary

                ___________      Other _________________________________________________

                                                                                (Explain Relationship)

My Social Security Number is ___________________.  I can be reached during business hours at the following 

telephone number: (_______) ____________________.

   (Area Code)

  Sincerely,

Here is a PDF file of the above  - GUIDE TO APPLYING FOR FEDERAL SURVIVOR BENEFITS

Handy links to questions frequently asked by retirees...Nancy Barnes, RO, Employee Relations: 

1.  What if you signed up for life insurance and weren't entitled to it? http://www.opm.gov/retire/asd/pdf/95-203.pdf

2.  Information for terminally ill: http://www.opm.gov/retire/asd/pdf/95-212.pdf

3.  Another option for the terminally ill: http://www.opm.gov/retire/asd/pdf/95-216.pdf 

4.  Assignment of ownership of your FEGLI:  http://www.opm.gov/retire/asd/pdf/95-221.pdf

5.  Taxes and option 2 and 3 above: http://www.opm.gov/retire/asd/pdf/96-206.pdf

6.  How to designate a trust as the beneficiary of your life insurance: http://www.opm.gov/retire/asd/pdf/98-106.pdf