Q. My mother was married late in life to a retired U.S. Post Office employee who received an annuity under CSRS. He died in 2006 and my mother in 2010. She never applied for survivor benefits before her death. I am the executor of her estate. OPM has taken the position that her failure to apply before her death waived her claims. Can this be correct?
A. Assuming that your stepfather elected a survivor annuity for your mother, her entitlement to that benefit ended with her death.
