[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR178.203]

[Page 25-26]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
                CHAPTER I--OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
 
PART 178_PROCEDURES FOR SETTLING CLAIMS--Table of Contents
 
  Subpart B_Settlement of Accounts for Deceased Civilian Officers and 
                                Employees
 
Sec. 178.203  Designation of beneficiary.

    (a) Agency notification. The employing agency shall notify each 
employee of his or her right to designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries 
to receive money due, and of the disposition of money due if a 
beneficiary is not designated. An employee may change or revoke a 
designation at any time under regulations promulgated by the Director of 
the Office of Personnel Management or his or her designee.
    (b) Designation Form. Standard Form 1152, Designation of 
Beneficiary, Unpaid Compensation of Deceased Civilian Employee, is 
prescribed for use by employees in designating a beneficiary and in 
changing or revoking a previous designation; each agency will furnish 
the employee a Standard Form 1152 upon request. In the absence of the 
prescribed form, however, any designation, change, or cancellation of 
beneficiary witnessed and filed in accordance with the general 
requirements of this part will be acceptable.
    (c) Who may be designated. An employee may designate any person or 
persons as beneficiary. The term person or persons as used in this part 
includes a legal entity or the estate of the deceased employee.
    (d) Executing and filing a designation of beneficiary form. The 
Standard Form 1152 must be executed in duplicate by the employee and 
filed with the employing agency where the proper officer will sign it 
and insert the date of receipt in the space provided on each part, file 
the original, and return the duplicate to the employee. When a 
designation of beneficiary is changed or revoked, the employing agency 
should return the earlier designation to the employee, keeping a copy of 
only the current designation on file.
    (e) Effective period of a designation. A properly executed and filed 
designation

[[Page 26]]

of beneficiary will be effective as long as employment by the same 
agency continues. If an employee resigns and is reemployed, or is 
transferred to another agency, the employee must execute another 
designation of beneficiary form in accordance with paragraph (d) of this 
section. A new designation of beneficiary is not required, however, when 
an employee's agency or site, function, records, equipment, and 
personnel are absorbed by another agency.