Opm Life Insurance: War Death Coverage?

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers life insurance coverage to federal employees and their families. This coverage, known as the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, provides a range of benefits, including death benefits, for those enrolled. In the event of an employee's death, their survivors or beneficiaries may be eligible for different types of benefits, such as a Basic Employee Death Benefit, monthly survivor annuity, or accidental death benefits. However, it's important to note that certain conditions and requirements must be met to qualify for these benefits. While regular death benefits are typically payable regardless of the location or cause of death, there are exceptions for war-related deaths. Accidental death benefits under Basic insurance and Option A are not payable if the employee was engaged in actual combat or if their death was caused directly or indirectly by war, acts of war, armed aggression, or insurrection. The determination of whether accidental death benefits are payable in such cases is made by the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) on a case-by-case basis.

Does OPM life insurance cover accidental death in war?

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers life insurance coverage to federal employees and annuitants. This coverage, known as the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), provides a range of benefits, including accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage.

AD&D coverage is included in both Basic and Optional insurance plans. It is payable if the insured sustains bodily injuries solely through violent, external, and accidental means and if, as a direct result, they lose their life, limb, or eyesight within one year. However, one exception to AD&D coverage is if the death or loss is caused directly or indirectly by war, declared or undeclared, any act of war, armed aggression, or insurrection, and the insured was engaged in actual combat at the time of sustaining the bodily injuries.

Therefore, OPM life insurance does cover accidental death in war, provided the insured was not in actual combat at the time of the incident. The Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) makes the final decision on a case-by-case basis after thoroughly studying the facts and documentation surrounding the death.

It is important to note that being sent to a combat zone does not cancel FEGLI coverage. Civilian employees who are sent to a war zone or combat zone in a support capacity retain their FEGLI coverage, including AD&D coverage. Regular death benefits are payable to the beneficiaries of federal employees killed in a war zone, unless they were in actual combat or nuclear weapons were involved. Even if accidental death benefits are not payable due to the circumstances, regular death benefits are still provided.

Who is eligible for survivor benefits?

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides survivor benefits to the loved ones of deceased federal employees or retirees. The specific benefits depend on the type of coverage the deceased had, as well as their length of service and the circumstances of their death. Here are the eligibility criteria for different survivor benefits:

• Basic Employee Death Benefit (BEDB) – Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Only: The BEDB is payable to the current spouse if the deceased employee had at least 18 months of creditable civilian service and is survived by a spouse to whom they were married for at least nine months (this requirement is waived if the death was accidental or if there was a child born of the marriage). The BEDB may also be payable to a former spouse if certain conditions are met, including a qualifying court order and the duration of the marriage.
• Monthly Survivor Annuity for Current or Former Spouse: A monthly survivor annuity may be payable to the current spouse if the deceased employee completed at least 10 years of creditable service (18 months of which must be civilian service) and was covered by FERS when they died. The nine-month marriage requirement applies here as well, unless the death was accidental or there was a child born of the marriage. A monthly survivor annuity may also be payable to a former spouse if specified in a qualifying court order and if the marriage duration requirement is met.
• Monthly Survivor Annuity for Children: Unmarried dependent children of the deceased employee up to age 18 may be eligible for monthly survivor benefits. This benefit can continue until age 22 if the child is a full-time student. Unmarried disabled dependent children may also receive recurring monthly benefits if the disability occurred before age 18.
• Lump-Sum Benefit: If there is no survivor annuity payable, a lump-sum payment of the retirement contributions remaining in the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, plus applicable interest, may be payable. The order of precedence for receiving this benefit is as follows: designated beneficiary, spouse of the deceased, children or descendants of deceased children, parents of the deceased, court-appointed executor or administrator of the estate, and next of kin as determined by the laws of the deceased's domicile state.
• Accidental Death Benefits: Accidental death benefits are payable under Basic insurance and Option A if the employee was not in actual combat or if nuclear weapons were not involved at the time of the injury that caused their death. These benefits are in addition to regular death benefits.
• Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Benefits: Regular FEGLI benefits are payable regardless of the cause or location of death. The beneficiaries of the deceased employee will need to file a claim for these benefits.
• Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC): If the deceased was not enrolled in FEHB or was enrolled in Self Only coverage, their survivors may qualify for TCC. If the deceased was enrolled in Self and Family coverage and met all the requirements, eligible family members can continue their enrollment as survivor annuitants. For Self Plus One coverage, only the designated eligible family member can continue enrollment if they meet all requirements.
• Health Benefits: A surviving spouse can continue Federal health benefits coverage if there is a monthly survivor benefit or a BEDB payable, and if the deceased employee or retiree was enrolled in a self and family or self-plus-one health benefits plan at the time of death. A former spouse and children of a deceased employee/retiree may also receive health benefits coverage under certain conditions.

How to file a claim for Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI)?

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) is the largest group life insurance program in the world, covering over 4 million federal employees, retirees, and their family members.

How to File a Claim for Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI)

If a federal employee or annuitant has died, you must report the death to the human resources office of the employee's agency. You will need the employee's full name, social security number, and date of death. The agency will then send you the life insurance claim form.

You can download the form ahead of time by visiting the official website and downloading the correct form:

• For an employee's death, download Form FE-6
• For a family member's death, download Form FE-6DEP
• For an annuitant's death, download Form FE-6
• For a family member's death, download Form FE-6DEP

You must then print out the form and send it, along with a certified copy of the death certificate, to the correct address:

• For employees and annuitants, send the form to the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance, P.O. Box 6080, Scranton, PA 18505-6080
• For family members, send the form to the Office of Personnel Management Retirement Operations Center, Attention: FE-6 DEP, Boyers, PA 16017

You can also report the death online or by phone:

• Online: www.opm.gov/ReportDeath
• Phone: Call 1-888-767-6738 (1-88USOPMRET). Phone lines are open from 7:50 am to 5:00 pm.

If you are a beneficiary, you can call 1-800-633-4542 (between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday) to talk to a customer service representative of the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. Overseas beneficiaries should call 212-578-2975.

Basic and any optional insurance are payable no matter where death occurs. The only exception is Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage, which is payable if bodily injuries are sustained through violent, external, and accidental means (with some exceptions). If death is caused directly or indirectly by war, any act of war, armed aggression, or insurrection, in which the insured is, at the time bodily injuries are sustained, in actual combat, then AD&D coverage is not payable. The Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance decides whether to pay AD&D coverage on a case-by-case basis after the death has occurred.

What is the Basic Employee Death Benefit?

The Basic Employee Death Benefit (BEDB) is payable to a current or former spouse if the deceased employee had at least 18 months of creditable civilian service under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and is survived by a spouse who was married to them for at least nine months. If the death was accidental or there was a child born of the marriage, the nine-month requirement does not apply.

The BEDB is equal to 50% of the employee's final salary (or average salary, if higher), plus $15,000. This amount has been adjusted for inflation and, as of December 1, 2021, is $37,055.54. It will continue to be updated by future Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) cost-of-living adjustments.

The Basic Employee Death Benefit may also be payable to a former spouse if a qualifying court order is on file at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the former spouse was married to the deceased for at least nine months and did not remarry before reaching the age of 55.

If there is no possible survivor annuity payable based on the death of a current employee, a lump-sum payment of any remaining retirement contributions may be payable. If an annuitant has exhausted all retirement deductions, an accrued annuity for the number of days the employee lived in the month they passed (minus health benefits or life insurance premiums) may also be payable.

How to report the death of a Federal employee/retiree?

To report the death of a federal employee or retiree, you can use one of the following methods:

Online

Go to the OPM Retirement Information and Services reporting page. Provide the annuitant's information and information for any surviving spouses or children, as well as your own information as the informant. Submit your report and wait to hear back—OPM will send a confirmation email within 3-5 business days.

By Phone

Call 1-888-767-6738 (1-88USOPMRET). The phone lines are open from 7:40 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. This number is also provided for those who are unable to locate their CSA or CSF claim number, or who are not a retiree, former spouse of a retiree, or survivor of a retiree.

By Post

Send a letter with the required information to the following address:

Retirement Operations Center

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Post Office Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017

Please note that OPM will respond by mail within 1-3 weeks.

By Fax

Only fax documents if requested to do so by an official OPM form or a Customer Service Specialist.

In Person

Visit the Retirement Services Support Center:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

1900 E St NW Room 1323

Washington, DC 20415

The center is open Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Friday, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. It is closed on federal holidays.

Frequently asked questions