Documents Needed for an OPM Survivor Claim

What OPM Requires

OPM returns incomplete applications, which adds months to a processing timeline that already runs 60 to 90 days. Getting the document package right the first time is the single most effective way to avoid delays.

Certified death certificate — 5 to 10 copies with a raised seal or official stamp from the vital records office. OPM needs one, OFEGLI needs one for the FEGLI claim, the TSP needs one, Social Security needs one, and the bank may need one. Standard photocopies are not accepted. The certificate must list the cause and manner of death.

Certified marriage certificate — a certified copy of the public marriage record from the issuing county or state. This establishes the legal marriage to the deceased annuitant. OPM requires the marriage to have lasted at least nine months before the death (waived for accidental death or if a child was born of the marriage).

Proof of termination of prior marriages — for both spouses. If either the retiree or the surviving spouse was previously married, provide certified copies of divorce decrees or death certificates of former spouses. OPM uses these to verify there are no competing claims.

Civil Service Annuity (CSA) claim number — not a document to submit, but a required field on every form. Find it on any OPM letter, the annual COLA notice, or Form CSA 1099-R. If you can't locate it, OPM can look it up by Social Security number, but it slows processing.

Court orders (if applicable) — certified copies of any Court Order Acceptable for Processing (COAP) or divorce decree under 5 U.S.C. § 8341(h) or § 8445 that defines former spouse survivor annuity rights. These take precedence over a current spouse's claim and can reduce or redirect the survivor annuity.

Military discharge records — Form DD-214, if military service credit was claimed or factored into the retiree's annuity calculation.

The Forms Themselves

The document package accompanies one of these forms:

• SF 3104 + SF 3104B — for FERS retirees (Application for Death Benefits and supporting documentation)
• SF 2800 — for CSRS retirees (Application for Death Benefits)

Submit everything to OPM's Survivor Processing Section, P.O. Box 45, Boyers, PA 16017-0045.

FEGLI life insurance uses a separate form (FE-6) filed with OFEGLI in Scranton, PA — not with OPM. TSP death reporting goes through tsp.gov's Life Events Hub or Form TSP-17.

Common Mistakes That Cause Delays

Photocopies instead of certified originals. OPM rejects standard copies. Order extra certified originals from the start — ordering more later adds weeks.

Missing prior marriage documentation. Even if the retiree was married once, if the surviving spouse was previously married, OPM needs proof that the prior marriage ended. Incomplete divorce documentation is one of the most common return reasons.

Wrong mailing address. Form FE-6 goes to OFEGLI, not OPM. Sending it to OPM's Boyers address delays the FEGLI claim because OPM has to forward it.

Blank CSA number. OPM can process without it, but searches by SSN take longer. Check the retiree's files for any OPM letter — the CSA number is printed on every piece of correspondence.

The Federal Retiree Death Benefits Guide includes a document-gathering checklist that covers every agency — OPM, OFEGLI, TSP, and SSA — so the family assembles the full package once and routes each document to the right place.

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