[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 22, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 22CFR20.5]

[Page 122-123]
 
                       TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS
 
                     CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF STATE
 
PART 20--BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN FORMER SPOUSES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 20.5  Survivor benefits.

    (a) Type of benefits. A former spouse who meets the eligibility 
requirements of Sec. 20.3 is entitled to survivor benefits equal to one 
of the following; whichever is applicable:
    (1) 55 percent of the full annuity to which the principal was 
entitled on the commencement or recomputation date of the annuity in the 
case of a principal who dies while in receipt of a Foreign Service 
annuity computed under section 806, 808, 823, 824, or 855 of the Act of 
5 U.S.C. 8415;
    (2) 55 percent of the annuity to which the principal was entitled at 
death in the case of a principal who dies while in receipt of a Foreign 
Service annuity computed under 5 U.S.C. 8452;
    (3) 55 percent of the full annuity to which the principal would have 
been entitled if he or she retired (or returned to retirement status) on 
the date of death computed--depending on the provision that would be 
used to compute an annuity for a surviving spouse of the principal--
under section 806(a), 823, 824, or 855(b) of the Act of 5 U.S.C. 8415 
and using the actual service of the principal, in the case of a 
principal who dies while in active service, including service on recall 
or reemployment while annuity is suspended or reduced; or,
    (4) 55 percent of the full annuity computed under 5 U.S.C. 8413(b) 
that the principal could have elected to receive commencing on the date 
of death or, if later, commencing on the date the principal would have 
attained the minimum retirement age described in 5 U.S.C. 8412(h), in 
the case of a principal while entitled to a deferred annuity under 5 
U.S.C. 8413(b), but before commencement of that annuity. A survivor 
annuity under this paragraph may not commence before the date the 
principal would have attained the minimum retirement age.
    (b) Effect of Election of Alternate Form Annuity. If a principal 
elects an alternate form annuity under section 829 of

[[Page 123]]

the Act or 5 U.S.C. 8420a, survivor benefits for a former spouse under 
this section shall, nevertheless, be based on what the principal's 
annuity would have been had the principal not withdrawn retirement 
contributions in a lump sum.
    (c) Reduction Because of Receipt of Other Survivor Benefits. If a 
former spouse is in receipt of a survivor annuity based on an election 
by the principal under section 806(f) or 2109 of the Act, the survivor 
benefits for the former spouse under this section shall be reduced on 
the effective date by the amount of such elected survivor annuity.
    (d) Commencement and Termination. Entitlement to survivor benefits 
under this section--
    (1) Shall commence on the latter of--
    (i) The date the principal dies;
    (ii) December 22, 1987; and
    (2) Shall terminate on the last day of the month before the former 
spouse dies or remarries before attaining age 55.