Q. I am retiring June 30. My spouse is also a federal employee. If we decide not to elect survivor benefits for her from my retirement, what would she receive if I were to pass away? Health care is not affected, as she will receive my military Tricare and she has her own federal plan? A. If there were any unexpended retirement contributions in your account when you died, she’d be able to receive those in a lump sum. And the proceeds from any Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance you might have would go to her, unless you had already assigned them to someone else.
Browsing: Survivor benefits
Q. My wife and I are both CSRS annuitants. I retired in October 1986 and am receiving both CSRS and Social Security benefits because I had significant years worked in the private sector. When I retired, I elected a reduced CSRS annuity to leave 55 percent of my annuity to my spouse in the event of my death. My wife is not eligible to receive Social Security because she retired after 1986. Will my wife be eligible to receive my Social Security benefits as a surviving spouse? A. First, let me correct a misunderstanding. If your wife accumulated at least 40…
Q. I have 20 years of service under FERS, but I am only 41. If I work a few more years, take a deferred retirement, and then die before reaching age 60, will my wife still be entitled to claim the survivor benefit/annuity? Can you point me to the reference? A. Yes. You’ll find the reference you are looking for at www.opm.gov/pubs/handbook/C072.pdf.
Q. I am 59 and have 14 years of federal service under FERS. I plan to retire around the end of April. I turn 60 on Oct. 10, and am wondering if I should retire on the 10th of the month in order to avoid an extra month being added to the annuity reduction. Also, if I choose a 25 percent survivor benefit, will my wife have to pay more in health insurance premiums (than with a 50 percent survivor benefit) in the event of my death? A. You can retire on any day of the month you want to.…
Q. I have read if there is no spouse, former spouse, or some other insurable interest named to receive a survivor annuity upon the death of a FERS annuitant, then a lump sum of the employee’s contributions to the FERS Retirement and Disability Fund will be paid (tax free) under the order of precedence (i.e. designated beneficiary; widow; child). What does this mean? Does it mean any monies left in a FERS retiree’s account at the time of his or her death will be paid out to the people as listed in the order of precedence? A. Yes. It means…
Q. I am a FERS employee. When I retire, I do not wish to name my spouse for a survivor annuity because I do not want my annuity reduced. (She has a secure financial plan in place). However, I do want her to continue to be included in my FEHB plan after I retire. I am currently enrolled in a family option. I was told that she cannot be included in my health benefit package (after my retirement) unless I at least partially name her for a survivor annuity. Is this true? A. You are required by law to provide…
Q: I am a postal retiree and I have my wife on my hospital coverage. When I die, will she be able to keep the APWU health plan, and what will be her cost. A: If your widow is receiving a survivor annuity based on your employment, she can continue that coverage. For that coverage, she would pay self-only premiums instead of the self-and-family premiums you pay now.
Q: My friend is a retired civilian under the FERS program. When he retired in the 1990s, an amount of some $6,000 was reduced from his annuity to provide for his wife’s survivor benefits. His wife died before him, so there were no survivor benefits paid. Now he wants to remarry. Will his new wife receive survivor benefits based on the old deduction, or will another deduction take place? A: While he can elect a survivor benefit for his new wife, there will be two reductions in his annuity to provide it. First, there will be the standard reduction to…
Q: Will my spouse receive cost-of-living adjustments on her survivor annuity after my death? A: Yes.
Q. When I retire, I will select a survivor benefit for my wife. After retiring, if she passes before I do, is it true that if I contact OPM it will restore by annuity to the amount it would have been had I not elected a spousal benefit? If so, is there a specific window of time in which I need to advise the OPM of my wife’s passing? A. No, there is no specific time frame for notifying OPM. However, it would make sense to do it sooner rather than later.