Civil Service 

Retirement 

System 

Federal Employees’ 

Group Life 

Insurance Program 

Federal Employees 

Health Benefits 

Program 

Federal Employees 

Retirement 

System 

Federal Long 

Term Care 

Insurance 

Program 

United States 

Office of 

Personnel Management 

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance Service 

Benefits Administration Letter 

Number: 01-219 Date: October 26, 2001 

Subject: Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program – 

 Revision of SF 2823, Designation of Beneficiary 

What is the revision date? 

The revised form is dated April 2001. 

Why did OPM revise the form? 

We revised the form to: 

Add information on court orders (see Benefits Administration Letters number 99-207 and 

number 98-205). 

Add examples of how to designate a trust. 

Add space for the designated beneficiaries’ social security number. 

Add space for more designated beneficiaries. 

Specify the information to put on an attachment, if the Insured or Assignee needs more room 

to list beneficiaries. 

Add a “total” line to ensure that designated shares add up to 100% or 1.0. 

Add information about using a common disaster clause (to specify who should receive the 

benefits if the designated beneficiary does not live beyond a certain number of days after the 

insured dies). 

Delete the insured’s statement indicating that he/she has or has not elected a Living Benefit 

(people were always confused about that statement). 

Clarify that the form is not valid unless the Insured or Assignee signs the form in the box 

designated for their signature. 

Clarify that the Insured or Assignee should submit a new designation if a beneficiary’s 

address changes. 

Redesign the instructions in plain language using the question and answer format. 

Make other minor changes to improve the form. 
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What if an employee doesn’t know a beneficiary’s social security number? 

The employee should leave that space blank. You can still accept the form. Having the social 

security number will help the Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) 

locate missing beneficiaries and therefore speed up the payment process for difficult cases. 

However, the number is not absolutely necessary. 

The old form said that enrollees did NOT have to submit a new form if a beneficiary’s 

address changed. Now you’re saying the opposite. Why? 

OFEGLI cannot always locate beneficiaries when designation forms contain outdated addresses. 

This means that OFEGLI may not be able to pay millions of dollars because it cannot locate the 

proper beneficiary. The easiest way to fix this problem in the future is to tell enrollees to submit 

a new designation when an address changes. This new procedure also encourages enrollees to 

review their designations and make changes when their intentions change (e.g., they want 

someone else to receive the money, perhaps after a divorce or birth of a child, etc.) 

If an employee designates types of insurance (rather than percentages or fractions), does 

he/she have to fill in the new Total line? 

No. It’s fine, though, if the employee puts “100%” in the Total line anyway. Don’t reject a 

designation just because someone has or has not completed the Total line. 

How do we order the form? 

You can order the revised form from GSA/FSS (General Services Administration, Federal 

Supply Service) using normal FEDSTRIP/MILSTRIP procedures (special procedures specified in 

your agency’s procurement or acquisition office for obtaining items from GSA). For problems or 

troubleshooting only, you may call GSA at 1-817-978-2508. 

Is this new form available on the Internet? 

Yes. You can download the revised form from the FEGLI web site 

(http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2823.pdf) in a fillable version. 

The new form is also on our new Designations Page that has all of the Government designation 

forms (unpaid compensation, thrift savings plan, Civil Service Retirement System, Federal 

Employees Retirement System, and life insurance) in one location. Be sure to visit that site 

http://www.opm.gov/insure/designations for one-stop shopping. 

Can we use previous editions? 

No. You should discard all old editions and order sufficient quantities of the new edition. 

However, it’s important to remember that current designations on file in an employee’s Official 

Personnel Folder (OPF) are still valid. It’s not necessary for employees to complete a new form 
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just to capture their elections on the new version, but if an employee wishes to complete a new 

designation, you should give them the revised form. 

What is the form’s stock number and cost?

The National Stock Number (NSN) for the SF 2823 is 7540-01-231-6228. The cost is $ 4.57 per 

HD. 

 

 Abby L. Block 

 Assistant Director 

 for Insurance Programs