FEGLI Death Claim Process: How to File Form FE-6 and Get Paid
FE-6 Is the Claim Form — Not SF 2823
The single most common FEGLI filing mistake is submitting the wrong form. SF 2823 is a designation of beneficiary — a form the employee fills out while alive to name who should receive their life insurance proceeds. FE-6 is the claim for death benefits — the form a survivor fills out after the employee dies to actually collect the payout.
Submitting SF 2823 after a death doesn't open a claim. It goes nowhere. OFEGLI doesn't process it, doesn't acknowledge it, and doesn't tell you anything. Survivors have waited months in silence because they mailed a designation form thinking it was a claim application.
Form FE-6 is what triggers payment.
What You Need to File
The FE-6 package requires three things:
Completed Form FE-6 — the claim application itself. Part I collects information about the deceased employee (name, date of birth, Social Security number, date of death, agency). Part II is completed by the claimant (your name, relationship, address, payment election).
Certified death certificate — not a photocopy, not a funeral home memorial card. A certified copy issued by the vital records office of the state or jurisdiction where the death occurred, with the cause of death listed. OFEGLI requires cause of death to determine whether the Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit applies.
Agency certification via SF 2821 — the employing agency completes SF 2821 (Agency Certification of Insurance Status) to verify the employee's coverage, options elected, and designated beneficiary on file. The agency HR office typically prepares this and includes it in the package.
Where to Send It
If the employing agency hasn't already processed SF 2821, submit your FE-6 to the agency HR office. They'll attach SF 2821 and forward the complete package to OFEGLI.
If the agency has already certified SF 2821 and given you a copy, you can send FE-6 directly to:
OFEGLI P.O. Box 6080 Scranton, PA 18505-6080
OFEGLI is a specialized unit within MetLife that handles all FEGLI claims. It is not part of OPM. Sending your FE-6 to OPM's retirement office in Boyers will only delay things — OPM will forward it to OFEGLI, adding weeks to your timeline.
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How Fast Does OFEGLI Pay
Once OFEGLI receives the complete FE-6 package (claim form + certified death certificate + SF 2821), they typically adjudicate and pay within 10 to 14 business days. That makes FEGLI one of the fastest-paying benefit channels after a federal employee's death.
Payment goes to the beneficiary designated on the employee's SF 2823. If no SF 2823 is on file, payment follows the statutory order of precedence under 5 U.S.C. § 8705: surviving spouse first, then children or descendants of deceased children, then parents, then the estate, then next of kin.
What Gets Paid
FEGLI coverage for an active employee can include up to four layers:
- Basic: Annual pay rounded up to the next $1,000 plus $2,000. The Extra Benefit doubles this amount at age 35 or under and declines 10% per year until age 45.
- Option A (Standard): A flat $10,000
- Option B (Additional): 1 to 5 multiples of annual pay
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment: Doubles Basic and Option A payouts if the death was accidental
All FEGLI proceeds are paid as a tax-free lump sum. No income tax, no estate tax (for amounts under the estate tax threshold), no withholding.
For a GS-14 Step 5 employee in the D.C. area at the 2026 salary-table rate of $163,104, Basic + Extra Benefit + Option A + Option B at 5x would provide about $1.16 million for a non-accidental death while the full Extra Benefit applies (age 35 or younger). With AD&D for an accidental death, that figure rises substantially.
Don't Confuse the Tracks
FEGLI is completely separate from OPM retirement benefits. Filing FE-6 with OFEGLI doesn't affect your FERS survivor annuity or BEDB claim. Filing SF 3104 with OPM doesn't affect your FEGLI claim. They're independent channels with independent processing.
The Survivor's Death Benefits & Claims Guide maps these parallel tracks into a single timeline so you file each form with the right agency and don't wait on one channel thinking it covers another.
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