United States Office of Personnel Management	Retirement and Insurance Service
		CSRS:	Civil Service Retirement System
Survivor Benefits for Children

Health Benefits Coverage

• The deceased employee or retiree must have been enrolled in a self and family health benefits plan on the date of death; and
• The dependent child must have been eligible for coverage as a family member when the employee or retiree died; and
• He or she must be unmarried and under age 22; and
• At least one family member must be eligible for an annuity as the survivor of the deceased employee or retiree.

If the student is the only family member receiving an annuity, the health benefits coverage stops if the student is no longer eligible for a monthly annuity. The health benefits may be reinstated if the student again becomes eligible for an annuity.

A foster child who lived with the deceased employee or retiree in a regular parent-child relationship may receive health benefits coverage, if otherwise eligible. (A foster child, however, is not eligible for survivor annuity payments.)

Generally, health benefits coverage may continue for a dependent child until he or she marries or attains age 22, whichever occurs first.

Health benefits coverage can continue after age 22 if the person is unmarried and is incapable of self-support because of a disability incurred before age 22 which is expected to continue for more than one year. To establish eligibility for this coverage, you will need to give us enough information about the persons condition to permit us to determine whether the coverage can continue. Please call us or write asking us to continue the persons coverage. Please do not contact us any more than 90 days before the persons 22nd birthday. Call us on (202) 606-0201 or write to the

We will send you complete instructions. You will need a doctors statement in this connection. You are responsible for any costs incurred in getting this information and sending it to us.

If the person is receiving survivor annuity after attaining age 18 because of disability, it may not be necessary to submit a doctors statement. In this event, you should call or write to us about 90 days before the persons 22nd birthday and we will tell you what you should submit.

Health benefits coverage for a disabled person over 22 terminates if the person marries or becomes able to earn a living. Later if the persons survivor annuity is reinstated, health benefits coverage may also be reinstated.

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