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1. What is the purpose of this section?
2. Does this directive cancel an existing FHWA directive?
3. What reference was used when writing this section?
4. What are the responsibilities for this section?
5. What form must the supervisor complete?

1. What is the purpose of this section? This section establishes the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) procedures for processing death cases.

2. Does this directive cancel an existing FHWA directive? Yes. This section cancels the FHWA's Personnel Management Manual (PMM), Part 1, Chapter 10, Section 2, dated June 28, 1996.

3. What reference was used when writing this section? Section 651 of Public Law 104-208, the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, effective September 30, 1996, was used when writing this section.

4. What are the responsibilities for this section? When an employee dies, sympathetic assistance will be furnished to survivors in settling matters relating to employment at the earliest appropriate time. The decedent's survivor(s) may have entitlements such as: compensation due the decedent but not actually paid; life insurance proceeds; monthly survivor annuity or lump sum payment from Civil Service Retirement fund; continued health benefits coverage; burial and associated allowances; and transportation of remains, and family and household goods at Federal government expense. The claim forms necessary to obtain such funds and benefits should be delivered to the next of kin within one week after the death of an employee.

   1. The supervisor is responsible for:

      1. Reporting the death of an employee immediately by telephone to the servicing human resources office. The telephone report shall include the deceased employee's name, whether death occurred as a result of an on-the-job injury, and, if known, date of death, next of kin, address of next of kin, and cause of death;

      2. Furnishing assistance, in coordination with the servicing human resources office, to the decedent's survivors in settling matters relating to employment; and

      3. Returning Federal government property to the office, such as laptop desktops, travel credit cards, Federal government phone cards, or any other Federal government property.

   2. The servicing human resources office is responsible for:

      1. Field servicing human resources office personnel shall immediately report the death of an employee by telephone to the Human Resources Services Group (HAHR-20) and to the field payroll office, if the decedent's salary was paid by that office. The report shall include the deceased employee's name, whether death occurred as a result of an on-the-job injury, and if known, date of death, next of kin, address of next of kin, and cause of death;

      2. HAHR-20 shall immediately report the death of an employee (in the field or Washington Headquarters) to the Washington Headquarters payroll office and prepare a letter of condolence from the Federal Highway Administrator;

      3. The deceased employee's servicing human resources office shall:

         1. Prepare the Standard Form (SF)-56, Agency Certification of Insurance Status, in triplicate, and SF-2810, Notice of Change in Health Benefits Enrollment;

         2. Prepare Form FHWA-192, Claim Form for Next of Kin or Designate Beneficiary. When the decedent's Official Personnel Folder is centralized, HAHR-20 will provide, upon request by the field personnel office, the name of any designated beneficiary and any information necessary for the preparation of Form FHWA-192;

         3. Forward the completed Form FHWA-192 to the official responsible for personal delivery. If personal delivery is not possible, mail the Form FHWA-192 to the next of kin or designated beneficiary;

         4. Serve as a source of information about the completion of claim forms contained in Form FHWA-192; and

         5. Take appropriate action upon completion of the claim forms returned by the next of kin.

   3. If the decedent was a field employee, the field office shall arrange for designation of the official responsible for delivery of the claim forms to the next of kin or designated beneficiary. If the decedent was a Washington Headquarters employee, the employee's Associate Administrator or equivalent will arrange for the designation of the official responsible for personal delivery of the claim forms.

   4. If death occurred while the employee was in travel status away from his/her official duty station, the ranking official of the local FHWA office shall immediately notify by telephone the servicing human resources office and the ranking official at the employee's official duty station who in turn will: (1) notify the employee's supervisor; (2) make arrangements for the notification of next of kin, and (3) provide every reasonable assistance in arranging for the preparation and transportation of the remains.

5. What form must the supervisor complete? The supervisor must complete Form CA-6, Official Superior's Report of Employee's Death.