{"id":859,"date":"2025-10-08T16:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T20:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/?page_id=859"},"modified":"2025-10-17T04:15:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T08:15:20","slug":"service","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/about-us\/programs\/service\/","title":{"rendered":"Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

J. Larry McIlwee<\/strong> \u2013 VFN Service Officer<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Need Help?<\/strong>
\nNARFE is here to help active and retired federal employees, their spouses, and annuitants find answers to questions related to federal benefits. NARFE can help cut through federal bureaucratic red tape. NARFE\u00a0<\/strong>maintains a\u00a0<\/strong>list of\u00a0<\/strong>articles and white papers on\u00a0its national website<\/span>,\u00a0www.NARFE.org<\/strong><\/a>, providing answers to frequently asked questions, such as<\/span>: Will your spouse be eligible for health benefits when you retire? \u00a0Buyouts can be attractive, but what if you\u2019re called back to service?\u00a0 How long do you have to wait to tap into your Thrift Savings Plan when you retire?\u00a0 <\/strong>Always keep the Office of Personnel Management<\/a> (OPM) website information handy.<\/p>\n

The following list of active links, entitled \u201cThe Survivor Kit,\u201d is an example of important information that every Chapter member should carefully file away in a location at home that is easily accessible to their spouse and immediate family in the event of their unexpected death.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Be Prepared For Life\u2019s Events<\/a>: What Your Survivors Should Know<\/strong><\/h5>\n

<\/h4>\n

NARFE Survivor Kit: Essential Information Checklist<\/h4>\n

1. Obtain Certified Death Certificates<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Secure multiple certified copies of the death certificate.
\nThese are required for various notifications and claims.<\/p>\n

2. Notify Relevant Agencies<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
\nSocial Security Administration (SSA)
\n<\/span>Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
\n<\/span>Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB)
\n<\/span>Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
\n<\/span>Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)
\n<\/span>Veterans Affairs (if applicable)<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Locate and Review Important Documents<\/strong><\/h5>\n

SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action)
\nRetirement Records
\n<\/span>Beneficiary Designations
\n<\/span>Marriage and Birth Certificates
\n<\/span>Divorce Decrees (if applicable)
\n<\/span>Military Service Records (if applicable)<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Understand and Apply for Survivor Benefits<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Survivor Annuity
\nLife Insurance (FEGLI)
\n<\/span>Social Security Survivor Benefits
\n<\/span>Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Death Benefits
\n<\/span>Federal Health and Life Insurance Continuation<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Address Financial and Tax Considerations<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Settle any outstanding debts or financial obligations.
\nConsult a tax advisor regarding potential tax implications.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Maintain Records and Documentation<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Keep copies of all correspondence and forms submitted.
\nDocument dates and details of all communications.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>

Logging into the System:<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Terminology that may be helpful.\u00a0 If you have any dealings with OPM, a CSA, or CSF number is one of the first pieces of information you are required to provide.\u00a0 Just as your Social Security number is your personal U.S. national identification number, your CSA or CSF number serves as your OPM identification number.\u00a0 The CS stands for Civil Service, and the A is issued to the annuitant. An F is issued to the survivor after notification of death has been processed.<\/p>\n

When logging onto your Services Online account, you will need your OPM-provided password.\u00a0 The CS will be pre-filled in.\u00a0 If you are signing on as a retiree, the first letter you will type is \u201cA\u201d, followed by your 7-digit claim number, and then \u201c0\u201d.\u00a0 If you are the survivor, the first letter you type will be \u201cF\u201d, followed by your 7-digit claim number, and then \u201cW\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NARFE Service Officers play a vital role in providing guidance, advice, and training to assist Chapter Service Officers as well as chapter members and their families about dealing with the services the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":410,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"kp-content-permissions":[],"class_list":["post-859","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":950,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/859\/revisions\/950"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kp-content-permissions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kp-content-permissions?post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}