How to Apply for Death Benefits Under the Civil Service Retirement System
- 1). Obtain and prepare Civil Service Retirement System Form 2800, Application for Death Benefits. The forms are available for free through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website.
- 2). Complete information about the deceased civil service employee in section A.
- 3). Provide your information in section B. If you're also the widow(er), complete section C, Information About the Deceased Person's Spouse. If you're a former spouse by means of divorce and have a court order that entitles you to receive death benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System program, complete section D, Information About the Deceased Person's Former Spouse.
- 4). Provide information on the deceased employee's dependent children in section E.
- 5). Complete section F, Information About Other Heirs, if no surviving spouse, former spouse or dependent children exist. Examples of other heirs include parents and children not included in section E.
- 6). Fill out section G, Information About the Deceased Person's Estate. If you were named the executor through the deceased's will but not through court, mark "No."
- 7). Complete section H if the deceased was an active military employee at the time of death and you are the surviving or former spouse. Attach Form 2800A to the application. Do not complete this section if the deceased was a retired military employee.
- 8). Fill out Section I, Direct Deposit. Generally, you must receive federal benefit payments made after July 26, 1996 by direct deposit. If receiving the payments by direct deposit causes a financial hardship to you, request to have your benefits mailed to you in the form of a check. Indicate your hardship and make the election in Section I of Form 2800.
- 9). Attach the required documents to your application. You must attach a copy of the death certificate and any other documents that support the eligibility of the beneficiaries named in the application. Do not send original support documents with your application. If the deceased was an active employee at the time of death, send your application to the personnel office for the department where the deceased was last employed. If the deceased was a former or retired employee at the time of death, mail the application to:
Office of Personnel Management
P.O. Box 45
Boyers, PA 16017-0045
Retain a copy of the application for your records.
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