Code of Federal Regulations Title 22. Foreign Relations § 22.19.11–8 Required elections between survivor benefits

(a) Bar against concurrent payment under this Act and Workers' Compensation Act. Except as stated below, survivor annuities and survivors' compensation for work injuries under 5 U.S.C. 8102 are not payable concurrently if both are based on the death of the same employee. A survivor entitled to both must elect which of the two benefits he/she prefers. Should all eligible survivors of a deceased employee elect to receive the compensation benefit rather than the survivor annuity, their rights to the latter are terminated and, if the lump-sum credit has not been exhausted, a lump-sum payment will become due under § 19.13. The one exception to this rule occurs when a widow or widower is being paid the balance of a scheduled compensation award under 5 U.S.C. 8107 due the deceased employee. If so, the widow or widower may receive the survivor annuity and compensation award concurrently.

(b) Election between survivor annuity and social security benefits. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 417 (a) and (e), survivors who are eligible for annuity which is based in part on military service performed by a principal between September 16, 1940, and December 31, 1956, and also for survivor benefits under the Social Security system, may elect to have the military service credited toward the Social Security benefit. In practice, the survivors should apply for both benefits, ask the Department and the Social Security Administration for statements showing the amount of each benefit, and then make their election of where to credit the military service. If Social Security benefits are elected, the rights of all survivors to a foreign service annuity are terminated.