Office of Personnel Management
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United States Office of Personnel Management |
Retirement and Insurance Service | |
| CSRS: | Civil Service Retirement System | ||
Survivor Benefits for Children |
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Children Incapable of Self-Support A son or daughter incapable of self-support because of a physical or mental disability can receive annuity benefits after age 18 if the disability existed before the 18th birthday and he or she meets the Basic Eligibility Requirements given on page 3.
You will need to give us enough information about the disabled persons condition to permit us to determine whether the annuity payments can continue. If the disabled child is under age 18 when you apply for death benefits, we do not need information about the disability until about 90 days before the childs 18th birthday. At that time you should call us on (202) 606-0500 or write to the
U. S. Office of Personnel ManagementIf the disability exists and the person is age 18 (or within three months of age 18) at the time you apply for death benefits, indicate on the Application for Death Benefits, Standard Form 2800, that the child is disabled. We will send you complete instructions on how to apply for a disabled childs benefit. In either instance, you will need a doctors statement. You are responsible for any costs incurred in getting the information we need and sending it to us.
If a disabled son or daughter age 18 or older is eligible for benefits, we will make the payments in the same amount and manner as for a child under age 18. Annuity benefits continue for a disabled person age 18 or older until he or she:
Notify us promptly if any of these events occur. If a son or daughter who recovers from a disability or becomes capable of self- support is a full-time student (or later becomes one), we can continue the benefits (or reinstate them) if the student is under 22. Requirements are given in the following section. If you believe the person meets these requirements, write to us and we will send you the necessary certification forms. If we paid a lump sum after the benefits for a disabled person terminated and he or she later becomes a full-time student before age 22, read the information starting on page 14, Lump Sum Payments, before requesting reinstatement of benefits.
Students Ages 18-22
A surviving child who meets the Basic Eligibility
Requirements listed on page 2, is
between the ages of 18 and 22, and is a full-
time student at a recognized educational
institution may be eligible for a monthly survivor
annuity benefit.
If a person who meets these requirements is listed on the Application for Death Benefits, Standard Form 2800, we will send an Initial Certification of Full-Time School Attendance, RI 25-41. This form is completed by the person who expects to receive the payments and by the school. If a child under 18 receives annuity benefits, as the 18th birthday approaches, we notify the parent, guardian, or other payee of the date the annuity will stop and explain how to get continued benefits for a son or daughter who is a qualified student.
A recognized educational institution is a school that has a faculty and requires study or training to be done at the school, is accredited, and is generally accepted as an educational institution. Examples include: High schools. Technical or vocational institutes. Business schools. Colleges. Junior Colleges. Universities.
Not acceptable as recognized and accredited educational institutions are correspondence schools, elementary schools, Job Corps, the U.S. military service academies, such as the U.S. Naval Academy, or any training programs where the trainee receives pay primarily as an employee, such as apprenticeship programs.
The student must be attending day or evening classes at the school, with enough course work each semester or term to finish his or her education within the length of time generally considered normal by the school for a full-time day student. Full-time students must have a sufficient subject load to allow them to graduate within the minimum time which is considered normal for a full-time student of the school.
High schools generally require 25 to 35 actual clock hours of class attendance each week to consider a student as full-time. For special programs, they generally require a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Colleges, junior colleges, and universities generally require a minimum of 12 semester or quarter credit hours to graduate in the normal length of time. For tuition purposes, a student carrying fewer credit hours may be designated as full-time. Being designated full-time for tuition purposes does not necessarily establish eligibility for adult student benefits.
Vocational or technical schools generally require that students make this schooling their principal activity. This means that the student spends as much as 40 clock hours each week in activities related directly to training in the school. Normally, the activities take place at the school.
Acceptable work-study programs generally require some regularly scheduled class attendance; together, the class attendance and the work periods constitute a full-time course of training. High school work-study programs are considered full-time if the school gives the student credit for successfully completing the work-study program.
Generally, cooperative programs are not considered full-time college. However, if the student receives full-time academic credit and is not receiving pay primarily as an employee, the student may qualify for a monthly annuity. Although a college may consider a student in a cooperative program full-time for tuition or registration purposes, this alone does not qualify the student to receive an annuity.
We may request periodic certification from you that the student continues to meet the eligibility requirements. We may also request at any time that you provide proof of the school enrollment.
Annuity benefits continue between school years unless the break is more than 5 months or the student does not plan to continue full-time school attendance. If the student plans to be out of school for more than 5 months, we cannot pay benefits during the break. If he or she plans to return to school within 5 months, but does not do so, benefits stop at the end of the month before the change of plans. Evidence of a change of plans includes entry into military service and failure to return to school on the date the new term begins. You must notify us immediately if there is a break of more than 5 months between school years or the student does not plan to continue full-time school attendance. We must recover any benefits erroneously continued during the break.
A son or daughter whose annuity benefits as an adult student stopped because he or she is no longer a full-time student at a recognized school could qualify for benefits again before reaching age 22. In such a case, ask us to send an application for reinstatement. Call (202) 606-0500 or write to the
U. S. Office of Personnel ManagementBe sure to provide the childs full name, the survivor annuity claim number (CSF number), and the full name of the deceased Federal employee or retiree. (Before requesting this, please read the discussion about Lump Sum Payments.)
When a student is no longer eligible, the payee (the person who receives the payments for the student) is responsible for notifying us at once. It is not the responsibility of the school official. If the student stops school, marries, or dies, write or call us at the above address right away and tell us the students name, CSF number, the full name of the deceased employee or retiree, and the nature and date of the event. You may notify us by calling the Retirement Information Office at (202) 606-0500, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or by calling the Retirement Surveys Branch at (202) 606-0249, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Annuity benefits stop for the student at the end of the month before the one in which he or she :
If the students 22nd birthday occurs on or after September 1 and before July 1 of the following year and the death of the employee/annuitant occurs during the same period, the student may be eligible for a monthly annuity.
Except when the student attains age 22 (or fails to submit proof that he or she is a student), you must notify us immediately at the address on page 12 when any of the above events occur. If we pay benefits after one of these events, the person who received the payment will be indebted to the Civil Service Retirement System, and we will have to recover the money. The overpaid amount should be set aside for return upon demand. OPM has the authority to enforce collection through court action and/or referral to a collection agency.
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