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OPM.gov / Retirement / My Annuity and Benefits / Retirement Eligibility Surveys
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Retirement Eligibility Surveys

 

Overview

2023 Disability Earnings Survey

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) officially began its Retirement Services program’s 2023 Disability Earnings Survey (DES) on Services Online as of February 14, 2024. OPM is surveying its entire population of 46,444 disability annuitants under age 60. OPM will analyze annuitants’ responses to determine if they are eligible to continue receiving benefits. We will also verify if they have earned over the 80% earnings limit during any employment in the 2023 tax year after they began receiving benefits. When this limit is met or exceeded, annuitants are considered restored to earnings capacity and their benefits will cease as of June 30, 2024.

All disability annuitants under age 60 (excluding appointed representative payees, guardians, conservators, and organizational payees) were sent notifications via mail or email. The notifications announced the opening of the survey through Services Online along with further instructions on how to complete the survey:

  • During the week starting January 21, 2024, all members of the survey population who did not have an active Services Online account were sent notification by mail.
  • Email notification was sent on Tuesday, January 22, 2024, to all members of the survey population who had an active Services Online Account.

Both notifications provided additional Services Online survey completion instructions. The 2023 DES is available on Services Online as of Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Annuitants may submit their reported earnings through Services Online from February 14, 2024, through June 30, 2024. We ask that all annuitants complete the survey, regardless of whether they had earned income in 2023.

All disability annuitants who have appointed representative payees, organizational payees, or court appointed guardians or conservators will be mailed a paper survey no later than April 1, 2024. 

Annuitants are encouraged to call the Retirement Information Office at 1-888-767-6738 (Mon – Fri, 7:40 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET) for any inquiries regarding the 2022 Disability Earnings Survey.

Marital Status Certification Survey

Retirement Services mails Marital Status Certification Survey forms to surviving spouses who receive survivor annuity benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). Statutory provisions under CSRS and FERS require OPM to terminate a survivor annuity benefit if a survivor annuitant remarries prior to turning age 55, unless the surviving spouse was married to the deceased for at least 30 years prior to his or her death. OPM sends the Marital Survey to survivor annuitants annually to determine their continued entitlement under these provisions.

If you receive this benefit, you must complete this survey form. Your form must be signed, dated, and include your daytime telephone number and email address to be considered complete.

You must complete and return this form within 30 days of the date on the form. You may fax your form to Retirement Surveys and Students Branch at (202) 606-0022 or mail it to:

Office of Personnel Management
Retirement Surveys & Students Branch
Marital Survey Form Enclosed
1900 E Street, NW, Room 2416
Washington, DC 20415

If you have questions about this form, you may call the Retirement Information Office at 1-888-767-6738 (open Monday to Friday, 7:40 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. ET).

The Student Certification Survey

OPM administers annuity (retirement) benefits for the federal workforce through the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS).

If you are the adult child, aged 18 to 22, of a deceased federal employee or retiree, you may be eligible to receive your deceased parent’s monthly annuity payment (“survivor benefit”) if you are enrolled full time in a qualifying educational program. To be eligible for this benefit, you must maintain full-time enrollment at an educational institution. Your grades do not affect your eligibility.

Survivor benefits are not awarded automatically, and so you will need to submit paperwork to OPM, which we will use to determine your eligibility.

New Adult Child Survivor Benefit Applicants

If this is your first time applying for an adult child survivor benefit, you will need to submit these documents:

Mail these documents to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management
P.O. Box 45
Boyers, PA 16017-0045

Have questions? Call our Retirement Information Office at 888-767-6738 Monday through Friday from 7:40 am to 5:00 pm EST/EDT. It will help to know your parent’s birthdate and Social Security number.

Adult Child Survivors Currently Receiving Student Benefits

Every year by law, OPM must confirm your eligibility to continue receiving a survivor benefit.
If you are currently receiving a monthly survivor benefit, OPM’s Retirement Services office will mail you a form called “Self-Certification of Full-Time School Attendance for the School Year” (Form RI 25-14) approximately a month before your current annual certification expires.

When you receive this form, you must complete and mail it in a timely manner, so that we can recertify your ongoing eligibility for this benefit. For help filling out this form, read these instructions.
Send us your completed form by email, fax, or regular mail.

  • Email: Student.Surveys@opm.gov
  • Fax: (202) 606-0022
  • Mailing address:
    U.S. Office of Personnel Management
    Retirement Surveys and Students Branch, Room 2416
    1900 E St, NW
    Washington, DC 20415.

Note: If your survivor benefit has been suspended for five months or longer, you should submit the form called “Initial Certification of Full-Time School Attendance” (Form RI 25-41) instead.

Need help? For any ongoing Student Benefit eligibility questions that cannot be addressed by the Retirement Information Office at 888-767-6738, please email us at Student.Surveys@opm.gov or call us at 202-606-0249.

About This Benefit

Entitlement to an adult child survivor annuity based on enrollment as a full-time student is governed by sections 8341(a)(4)(C), (e)(2)-(4) of title 5, United States Code, and section 831.672 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (if covered under CSRS); and sections 8441(4)(c) and 8443 of title 5, United States Code, and section 843.410 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (if covered under FERS).

The Representative Payee Survey

Retirement Services mails Representative Payee Surveys to payees receiving benefits on behalf of annuitants, surviving spouses, and disabled dependents who are not able to manage their financial affairs. To protect the annuity rolls, we send this survey to ensure that the beneficiary is still living, to confirm that the person receiving the benefits on behalf of an annuitant is still the payee of record, and that the payee is using the annuity in the best interest of the annuitant.

All Representative Payees must complete and mail the Representative Payee Survey to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Retirement Surveys and Students Branch
Rep Payee Survey
1900 E Street NW, Room 2416
Washington, DC 20415

Once we receive your survey, we will screen it for completeness and compare it to our records to confirm no changes are necessary. If we find any discrepancies, we will request additional information. Representative Payees have 30 days from the date of receipt to complete and return the survey by mail. Benefits will be suspended if you do not reply to the survey.

If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the Retirement Information Office at 1-888-767-6738, Monday through Friday, 7:40 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST.

FERS Annuity Supplement Earnings Survey

Retirement Services mails in April and May of each year the Annuity Supplement Earnings Report form (Retirement Services Internal Form [RI] 92-22). Applicable annuitants are required to use this form to report any wages they received during the immediate previous tax year. This form is mailed each year to our retirement population of non-disability annuitants between their current Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) and age 62. You can find your individual MRA at Eligibility (opm.gov).

Certain Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) non-disability annuitants who retire before age 62 are entitled to an annuity supplement in addition to their basic FERS annuity benefit. This supplement provides a benefit similar to Social Security benefits that annuitants would be eligible to receive from the Social Security Administration (SSA) had the annuitants retired at age 62.

Salary and/or wages the annuitant earns after retirement can affect continued receipt of the annuity supplement. Therefore, the supplement is subject to an earnings test. OPM mails out the Annuity Supplement Earnings Report form to the annuitants in this category every year while they are in receipt of an annuity supplement. Annuitants use the form to report any wages and/or self-employment income (i.e., other than annuity benefits) earned the previous tax year. Annuitants must sign and date their completed survey response and provide their daytime telephone number. All forms must be fully completed and returned (if applicable per form instructions) no later than June 30 each year.

Annuitants are encouraged to call the Retirement Information Office at 1-888-767-6738 (Monday – Friday, 7:40 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET) for any inquiries regarding the annual Annuity Supplement Earnings Report form.

Disability Earnings Survey FAQs

FERS Annuity Supplement Survey FAQs

Marital Survey FAQs

Rep Payee Survey FAQs

Student Certification Survey FAQs

  • Does the government award student survivor benefits automatically? View more
    No. When a federal employee or retiree dies, the surviving parent or other person responsible for the eligible children must complete an “Application for Death Benefits” (SF-2800) and the “Initial Certification of Full-Time School Attendance” (RI 25-41) certification form. Please send these completed forms, in addition to a death certificate to the following address:
    U.S. Office of Personnel Management
    P.O. Box 45
    Boyers, PA 16017
  • Does OPM pay annuity benefits to minor children (under age 18)? View more
    Yes, OPM pays annuity benefits to minor children under a separate survivor child benefit. Payments are made to the following on behalf of the minor children:
    • To a court-appointed guardian or other fiduciary; or
    • To the surviving parent or other person who has care and custody of the children.
  • How does OPM pay annuity benefits to individuals who are between 18 and 22 years of age and are considered a full-time student? View more
    Annuity payments are paid as follows:
    • Annuity benefits can be paid to a student beneficiary who is at least 18 years of age. The student may request to receive the payment directly; or
    • Alternately, annuity benefits can also be paid to the representative payee if the student is not able to handle their own affairs.
  • What are the requirements to receive monthly student survivor annuity benefits? View more
    The following are the requirements:
    • The child must be the unmarried survivor of a federal employee who has 18 months of creditable civilian service or of a civil service retiree. A “child” includes an adopted child, stepchild, or recognized child born out of wedlock; and
    • The child must have been a dependent of the deceased employee or retiree. A child is considered dependent if they:
      • Were born within wedlock to the deceased employee or retiree; or
      • Are an adopted child of the deceased employee or retiree or meet all the following conditions:
        • The child lived with the deceased;
        • The deceased filed a petition to adopt the child; and
        • The child was adopted by the surviving spouse after the employee or retiree died; or
      • Are a stepchild or recognized child born out of wedlock who lived with the employee or retiree in a regular parent-child relationship at the time of the employee or retiree’s death; or
      • Are a recognized child born out of wedlock for whom a judicial determination of support has been obtained; or
      • Are a recognized child born out of wedlock for whom proof exists that the deceased employee or retiree made regular and substantial contributions to the child’s support.
  • What are the allowable educational institutions? View more
    The following are allowable educational institutions:
    • High schools;
    • Technical or vocational institutes;
    • Business schools;
    • Junior or community colleges;
    • Colleges; and
    • Universities.
  • What is considered “full-time enrollment” at each of the allowable educational institutions? View more
    • For a High School:
      • 25 to 35 hours of class attendance. (Special programs generally require a minimum of 20 hours per week.); or
      • Work-Study Programs – Generally require some regularly scheduled class attendance in combination with work periods. The combination of class attendance along with work periods may constitute a full-time course of study. High school work-study programs are considered full time if the school gives the student credit for successfully completing the work-study program;
    • For Technical or Vocational Institutes:
      • 25 or more clocked hours each week in activities related directly to training in the school.
    • For Business Schools, Junior or Community Colleges, and Colleges or Universities:
      • Must be an accredited educational institution.
      • Must be enrolled in a full-time course of study.
        • A full-time course of study or training is generally considered 12 semester or quarter credit hours, allowing the student to graduate in the normal length of time (or what is considered a full-time course of study for the specific educational institution the student is attending).
        • Cooperative Programs – Generally, these are not considered a full-time course of study or training. However, if the student receives full-time academic credit in a cooperative program and is not receiving pay primarily as an employee, the student may meet the eligibility criteria for retaining survivor benefits between 18 and 22 years of age as a student regularly pursuing a full-time course of study or training.
  • When do Annuity Benefits stop for the student? View more
    Annuity benefits stop when the student:
    • Turns 22; or
      • However, if their 22nd birthday falls on or after September 1 and before the following July 1, payments continue until the end of the month preceding the one in which full-time schooling stops or the following June 30, whichever comes first. For example, if a student turns 22 on September 1 and finishes full-time schooling the following May 10, they will receive their last monthly annuity payment on May 1 for the month of April.
    • Marries; or
    • Dies; or
    • Stops attending school; or
    • Transfers to a non-accredited school; or
    • Changes to less than a full-time course of study or training; or
    • Enters military service or a U.S. military service academy (such as the U.S. Naval Academy); or
    • Fails to submit required proof that they are a student regularly pursuing a full-time course of study or training.
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