Does Civil Service Retirement Pay Continue After Death

Do you want to ensure that you spouse remains covered by FEHB after your death? Then you want to elect some level of survivor benefit for your spouse at the time you retire.

In order for a spouse to be able to continue enrollment in FEHB after a retiree's death, they (or another family member such as an eligible child) must be receiving a survivor benefit.

When it comes to choosing a survivor benefit out of your CSRS or FERS pension, there is one consideration that is quite a bit different for federal retirees than for those private sector retirees who are lucky enough to have a defined benefit pension. That consideration is that there is a link between receiving a survivor benefit and being able to continue enrollment in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB).

What follows does not apply to those readers who are married to another federal employee. A federal employee who is enrolled (and has been enrolled for the five years immediately preceding retirement) is entitled to FEHB in their own right after retirement. The enrollment referred to in the previous sentence can be either on their own, or on their federally employed spouse's Self Plus One or Self and Family policy.

However, those of you who provide health insurance for your spouse (and family, too) need to be aware that, if you do not elect some level of survivor benefit at retirement, your spouse and family will lose FEHB coverage upon your death (unless another family member, such as an eligible child is entitled to a survivor benefit). This fact can complicate the act of choosing the appropriate level of survivor benefit.

Many financial advisers, especially those who also sell insurance, will advise retirees not to select a survivor benefit upon retirement. The rationale they offer is that a pension that is not reduced by the cost of a survivor annuity will provide more money during the life of the retiree, and that an insurance policy can provide for the needs of the surviving spouse. A federal pension will be reduced by 10% (FERS) or almost 10% (CSRS) if a full survivor benefit is chosen. A full survivor benefit is 50% of the unreduced pension (FERS) or 55% of the unreduced pension (CSRS). A full survivor benefit is not necessary to guarantee FEHB coverage; any level of survivor benefit will do so.

Choosing not to elect a survivor benefit and purchasing life insurance is called a "pension max" by those advisers who sell them and, absent the concern about FEHB coverage for a surviving spouse, can make sense in some situations. Most financial advisers are not aware of the tie-in between a survivor benefit and continued FEHB coverage for a spouse. This lack of awareness may be due to the fact that the vast majority of their clients do not have such a tie in. The reason there is not tie-in is that most private sector employees are not entitled to employer-provided health insurance after retirement. This lack of knowledge on the financial adviser's part can lead them to make a recommendation to a federal employee (i.e., do not get a survivor benefit for your spouse) that is not in that federal employee's best interest.

Do not make a decision regarding survivor benefits without considering all factors – especially FEHB coverage for your spouse. OPM Brochure RI 79-2 has detailed information about post-retirement FEHB coverage.

Up to this point we've talked about a decision that you make at retirement. What would happen to FEHB coverage for your spouse if you died while still employed? Your surviving spouse would be entitled to a survivor benefit (and therefore continued FEHB coverage) if you had at least 18 months of service (CSRS) or 10 years of service (FERS). Even if you did not meet the length of service requirements, your spouse would be entitled to continue coverage under FEHB if another family member (i.e., an eligible child) was entitled to a survivor benefit.

You have probably noticed that this article has talked about a spouse's ability to continue FEHB coverage after the death of an employee or retiree. If your spouse is not enrolled with you on a Self Plus One or Self and Family policy at the time of your death, it doesn't matter whether or not they will receive a survivor benefit; they will not be entitled to FEHB because they were not enrolled at the time of your death.

Agencies can request to have John Grobe, or another of Federal Career Experts' qualified instructors, deliver a retirement or transition seminar to their employees. FCE instructors are not financial advisers and will not sell or recommend financial products to class participants. Agency Benefits Officers can contact John Grobe at johnfgrobe@comcast.net to discuss schedules and costs.

© 2022 John Grobe. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced without express written consent from John Grobe.

About the Author

John Grobe is President of Federal Career Experts, a firm that provides pre-retirement training and seminars to a wide variety of federal agencies. FCE's instructors are all retired federal retirement specialists who educate class participants on the ins and outs of federal retirement and benefits; there is never an attempt to influence participants to invest a certain way, or to purchase any financial products. John and FCE specialize in retirement for special category employees, such as law enforcement officers.

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Source: https://www.fedsmith.com/2016/05/12/ensuring-your-spouse-remains-covered-under-fehb-after-your-death/

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