Q. I’ve been married for 17 years. How would I know if I was a beneficiary for my husband’s civil service pension? I know I’m covered with his medical insurance.
A. With two exceptions, federal law requires that you receive a survivor annuity if your husband dies. One exception would be if he was previously married and hadn’t changed the designation of beneficiary form to name you as the recipient of the survivor annuity. The second, if there is a properly filed court order assigning that benefit to a former spouse.
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The designation of beneficiary form only applies to lump sum payments, not to the survivor benefit. As you have stated , if their is a court order for the former spouse, it would take precedence over the current spouse.
Sorry, should be “there” not “their.”
On the survivor annuity, if I selected it and my husband didn’t sign saying he knows of it and the payments don’t get deducted from my disability retirement annuity, what happens at 62 when I move from disability or if I die?
I have referred your email to OPM and asked them to reply directly to you.
Thank you
When your husband retires, the retirement application has a section for survivor annuities. It states that he is required to leave you a full survivor annuity (50% for FERS), unless you agree in writing to less (25%) or none at all. There is a form attached for that, and it must be signed and notarized. So unless you went to a notary with him and signed off allowing him to not leave you a survivor annuity, you should get the full one.
I understand that and I am Fers Disability retired; did not go to a notary and am sure I checked the forms for a survivor annuity but no deduction has been taken from my disability annuity which began in 2011; I’ll be 62 in September this year. How will a survivor annuity for my husband happen or will it not happen at all?
Once your disability annuity converts to a regular FERS retirement annuity, you should receive a “blue book” from OPM showing a breakdown of the annuity. This should show the 10% reduction for a survivor annuity. If it does not, you need to contact OPM as soon as possible, stating you requested a survivor annuity and don’t see the reduction for it. Your husband won’t receive anything until you are deceased.
Good advice. Thanks for sharing.
See that relply but is it normal /routine that survivor annuity deductions do not appear on disability retirement annuity?
is it normal /routine that survivor annuity deductions do not appear on disability retirement annuity?
Have no reply from Opm and the question as to whether or not disability retirement annuities should reflect the survivor annuity premium deductions.
You will not see a specific deduction for a survivor annuity premium. It was calculated when your retirement selection was processed. The 10% reduction comes off the gross amount to which you are entitled to receive.
Phoebe thanks for your replies; the blue book sent on inquiry during my disability last year did not reflect survivor benefit information at all. I call it a blue book because it was sent from OPM as specific retirement information regarding me when Questioning my disability/retirement annuity amount. Why wouldn’t that include the survivor annuity 10%?
Did you keep a copy of your request for Disability Retirement? If not, I would get a copy from OPM. That should have information regarding a survivor annuity. I am afraid only OPM can provide information as to whether they have that on record for you or not. Write a letter to OPM, stating that you requested a survivor annuity and asking whether they have deducted it from what you are getting now.
Did do that; Opm said they do not keep a paper file of what I submitted; they sent me the blue book which made no mention of a 10% or a monthly survivor benefit premium from my disability Annuity. How else or where can I see what they used to Base my monthly annuity payment on if they don’t have it on file?