If an employee dies from a work-related traumatic injury or an occupational disease, any survivor may file a claim for death benefits using Form CA-5 or CA-5b, which may be obtained from the employer or from the Internet at www.dol.gov under forms. The survivor must provide this notice in writing and forward it to the employer. Another person, including the employer, may do so on the survivor's behalf. The survivor may also submit the completed Form CA-5 or CA-5b directly to OWCP. The survivor shall disclose the SSNs of all survivors on whose behalf claim for benefits is made in addition to the SSN of the deceased employee. All such notices should be submitted electronically wherever feasible to facilitate processing of such claims. All employers that currently do not have such capability should create such a method by December 31, 2012. The survivor may withdraw his or her claim (but not the notice of death) by so requesting in writing to OWCP at any time before OWCP determines eligibility for benefits.

For deaths that occur on or after September 7, 1974, a notice of death must be filed within three years of the death. The form contains the necessary words of claim. The requirements for timely filing are described in § 10.100(b)(1) through (3).

However, in cases of death due to latent disability, the time for filing the claim does not begin to run until the survivor is aware, or reasonably should have been aware, of the causal relationship between the death and the employment (see 5 U.S.C. 8122(b)).

The filing of a notice of injury or occupational disease will satisfy the time requirements for a death claim based on the same injury or occupational disease. If an injured employee or someone acting on the employee's behalf does not file a claim before the employee's death, the right to claim compensation for disability other than medical expenses ceases and does not survive.

A survivor must be alive to receive any payment; there is no vested right to such payment. A report as described in § 10.414 of this part must be filed once each year to support continuing payments of compensation.