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Marines

Survivor Benefits
Survivor Benefits
If you are a relative reporting the death of a Federal employee, please contact the personnel office where your family member was employed. We are sorry to hear of your loss. This website serves as a brief introduction to survivor and death benefits. For more detailed information, please call the EBIS line at 1-888-320-2917, or contact the employee’s personnel office. Survivor benefits are payable to a surviving spouse upon the death of an active federal employee. An active federal employee means that at the time of the employee’s death, the employee was still on the agency’s pay rolls. Benefits may also be payable to surviving children and former spouses depending on the situation. Even if the employee has filed for immediate retirement or disability retirement, if they have not been formally separated from the agency’s rolls and/or received their first annuity check, their surviving family members are eligible to receive benefits. If the employee’s death was job-related, workers’ compensation benefits may be payable.` 
How do family members apply for benefits?

Complete the appropriate Application for Death Benefits (SF 2800 for CSRS or SF 3104 and SF 3104B for FERS) and attach any other forms and/or evidence as the application or circumstances require.

Attach a copy of the employee’s death certificate and a copy of the certificate of the marriage to the widow or widower.

Send the completed application to:
Office of Personnel Management
Retirement Operations Center
ATTENTION: Employee Death
Post Office Box 45
Boyers, Pennsylvania 16017-0045

A widow or widower who is claiming benefits for himself or herself and on behalf of children should file one application.
 

Specific Survivor Requirements under CSRS include:
  1. Current spouse of employee must have been married to employee for 9 or more months; or, if married less than 9 months, must have had a child born of the marriage, or widowed due to accidental death of employee. 
  2. Former Spouses may receive survivor benefits through a court order. Also, the former spouse may have rights to a survivor benefit if the employee does not have a current spouse, the former spouse was married to the employee for more than 9 months, the employee had at least 18 months of creditable civilian service, and the former spouse did not remarry before reaching age 55 (unless he/she was married to the deceased for at least 30 years).  Note: If a court order establishes that a former spouse will get the survivor benefit, the current spouse will not receive a survivor benefit.
  3. Children will receive survivor benefits if they are unmarried and under the age of 18. Exceptions include children between the ages of 18-22 if a full time student and children who are incapable of self support and the disability occurred prior to age 18.
Specific Survivor Requirements under FERS include:
  1. Surviving or Former Spouses may be eligible for the Basic Employee Death Benefit (BEDB). The BEDB is $15,000 (which is adjusted annually) plus 50% of the employee’s final salary (or average HI-3 salary, whichever is higher). To receive this entitlement, the employee must have completed at least 18 months but less than 10 years and died while subject to FERS deductions.
  2. For survivor annuity, the current spouse must have been married to the employee for at least 9 months at the time of death; or, if married for less than 9 months, the employee’s death must have been accidental or there must have been a child born of the marriage.
  3. Former spouses may be entitled to survivor benefits if a court order awards the former spouse the survivor annuity, if the former spouse was married to the employee for at least 9 months, the employee performed at least 18 months of creditable civilian service, and the former spouse did not remarry before reaching age 55 (unless he/she was married to the deceased for at least 30 years).  Note: If a court order establishes that a former spouse will get the survivor benefit, the current spouse will not receive a survivor benefit.
  4. Children will receive survivor benefits if they are unmarried and under the age of 18. Exceptions include children between the ages of 18-22 if a full time student and children who are incapable of self support and the disability occurred prior to age 18.
When do survivor benefits begin and end?

Survivor benefits will begin on the day after the employee’s death in service.

Survivor benefits will end if the survivor dies. If the survivor dies, the annuity will end on the last day of the month preceding the month in which the survivor dies.

Survivor benefits will end of the survivor (if the survivor was a current spouse) remarries before the age of 55. As a remarried individual, if your spouse dies, or you get divorced, you may reclaim survivor benefits.


Survivor Benefits and Social Security:
FERS and CSRS Offset children’s benefits are reduced by any Social Security benefits payable. Social Security will pay survivor benefits to the surviving spouse and dependent children of a Federal employee who was covered by Social Security (excludes CSRS).

Unpaid compensation:
Whenever an employee transfers agencies, an Unpaid Compensation Designation of Beneficiary Form, SF1152, must be filled out. This form will designate who will receive any unpaid compensation to include the lump sum payment of unused annual leave. To claim unpaid compensation, the survivor will fill out the SF1153 form.

Continuing FEHB:
If you are ineligible to receive a survivor benefit, you are ineligible to continue FEHB coverage. If eligible for continuation of FEHB, premiums will be deducted from the survivor’s monthly annuity check. If the deceased employee was covered under FERS and the surviving spouse is eligible for BEDB but not for a survivor annuity, the surviving spouse may continue their FEHB coverage by making a direct premium payment to OPM. Please see OPM's FEHB continuation website for more information.

FEGLI Benefit Distribution:
FEGLI benefits will be assigned based on the order of precedence.

TSP Distribution:
TSP will be paid based on the designation of beneficiary. If no beneficiary is designated, the order of precedence will be the manner in which the TSP will be paid.


Retirees and Survivor’s Webpage (OPM)  
FEGLI Claim Form for Death Benefits  
Reporting the Death of an Annuitant  
Department of Navy (DON) on Employee Deaths  

    
SF-2800: Application for Death Benefits (CSRS)  
SF-3104: Application for Death Benefits (FERS)  
SF-3104B:Documentation in Support of Application for Death Benefits (FERS)  
SF-1152: Designation of Beneficiary for Unpaid Compensation  
SF-1153: Claim for Unpaid Compensation of Deceased Employee  
CBC-12830-45: Notification of Civilian Employee Death (DON)  
Contact Information

To report the death of a current USMC employee, contact:

The Employee Benefits Line (EBIS): Telephone: (888) 320-2917 (OR)

You may also fill out the Notification of Civilian Employee Death form and email it to navybenefits@navy.mil or Fax the form to (757) 396-7826.

To report the death of a retired USMC employee, contact:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM): Telephone: (888) 767-6738 (OR)

You may also report the death of an annuitant on OPM’s website.

Federal Benefits Topics
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