Child Beneficiaries

• Benefits Payable to Children of Deceased CSRS/FERS Employees/Annuitants
• Length of Payment of Child Benefits
• Continuing Benefits for Children After Age 18
• Disabling Conditions for Children
• Full-Time Students
• Determination of Dependence
• Social Security Benefits Affects FERS Benefits Payable to Children of Deceased FERS Employees/Retirees
• Computation of Children’s Benefits

Benefits Payable to Children of Deceased CSRS/FERS Employees/Annuitants

FERS/CSRS survivor benefits to eligible children are automatically provided by law. An annuitant does not have to elect these benefits at retirement.  There is no reduction in your annuity to provide this benefit.

Length of Payment of Child Benefits

Unmarried children who are dependent upon the employee/annuitant may receive monthly benefits until they reach age 18, marry, or die.  Monthly survivor annuity payments for a child can continue after age 18, if the child is a full-time student attending a recognized school. Benefits can continue until age 22.

Unmarried disabled dependent children who are incapable of self-support may receive recurring monthly benefits, if the disability occurred before age 18.   The benefits will continue as long as the condition continues and the child does not become capable of self-support.

Benefits to any child end upon the child’s marriage.

Continuing Benefits for Children After Age 18

A child can continue to receive benefits after reaching age 18 if he or she is incapable of self-support because of a disability which began before age 18.  If the disabled child is under age 18 when you apply for benefits, we do not need additional information.  However, when the child is within three months of reaching age 18 or over age 18, you should send us the information described in disabling conditions for children.

A child can also continue to receive benefits until age 22 if he or she is a full time student.  If the child is listed on the application for benefits as a full-time student who is age 18 or more, we will send a request for certification of school attendance to be completed by the person who expects to receive payments and the school.  Annuity payments continue between school years unless the break is more than five months or the student does not plan to return to school on a full-time basis.  If the student plans to be out of school for more than five months, we cannot pay benefits.  If he or she plans to return to school within five months, but does not do so, benefits stop at the end of the month before the change of plans.

Disabling Conditions for Children

Monthly survivor annuity payments can continue if a child is incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental disability which began before age 18.  If you have a disabled child who receives benefits as a minor, you should send a letter asking us to continue benefits after the child reaches 18 because of incapacity for self-support.  You should send the letter about 90 days before your child reaches age 18.

Your should include a doctor’s statement that includes the child’s name, the CSF survivor claim number, a full report of the disability, including the date it started, the degree of impairment, and probable length of the disability.   The statement should cover a brief educational and employment history, if any, and provide the name, address, telephone number, and signature of the physician.

Monthly survivor benefits to a disabled dependent stop when the disabled child recovers from the disability, becomes capable of self-support, marries, or dies.

Full-Time Students

Monthly survivor annuity payments for a child can continue after age 18 if the child is a full-time student attending a recognized school. Benefits can continue until age 22.

To be considered a full-time student, high schools, trade schools, and vocational schools generally require 25 or more actual clock hours of classroom attendance each week.  Colleges and universities generally require enrollment for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester to be considered full-time.  There are no payments available for part-time school attendance.

A recognized school is one that has a faculty and requires study to be done at the school. High schools must be licensed by the state.  All other schools must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

We do not recognize correspondence schools, elementary schools, home schools, Job Corps, 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.

Determination of Dependence

We consider the child dependent if there is proof that the deceased made regular and substantial contributions to the child’s support.  We consider a child dependent if he or she:

• was born of the marriage to the retiree;
• is an adopted child who meets all of the following conditions-
• the child lived with the deceased retiree, and
• the deceased filed a petition to adopt the child, and
• the child was adopted by the surviving spouse before or after the retiree died;
• is a stepchild or recognized child born out of wedlock who was living with the retiree in a parent/child relationship when the retiree died; or
• is a recognized child born out of wedlock for whom a judicial determination of support has been obtained.

Receipt of Social Security Benefits Affects FERS Benefits Payable to Children of Deceased FERS Employees/Retirees

The combined benefit of all the children is reduced by the total amount of child’s insurance benefits that are payable (or would, upon proper application, be payable) under Title II of the Social Security Act for the same month to all children of the deceased (including those of a former marriage who may not be living with the current spouse) based on the total earnings of the deceased. In many cases, the FERS children’s benefit is reduced to $0.

Computation of Children’s Benefits

The children’s survivor benefit is a specific dollar amount established by a formula in the governing United States Code and is increased by cost-of-living-adjustments.   Each child’s rate is determined individually based on the circumstances described below.

When the child has a living parent who was married to the employee or retiree, the benefit payable to the child is the lesser of:

$469 per month per child; or
$1,409 per month divided by the number of eligible children.

When the child does not have a living parent who was married to the employee or retiree, the benefit payable to the child is the lesser of:

$563 per month per child; or
$1,691 per month divided by the number of eligible children.

These rates are payable from December 1, 2008 through November 30, 2009. They will be increased by future cost-of-living adjustments.