Opinion ID: 2506574
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: OPM Stops Mrs. Varner's Benefits After Mr. Varner Dies

Text: On April 22, 2005, Mr. Varner unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Since Mrs. Varner had to rely on Mr. Varner to write a check to her each month, she stopped receiving her half-share of his pension. Mrs. Varner, then filed a claim based upon her divorce decree, but her petition was denied, as was her appeal of the initial decision. She then sought the intervention of Congressman Joel Hefley. Mrs. Varner received no benefits from May 2005 until November or December 2005. This loss of income caused her to forgo certain medications and caused her to be late on a number of her financial obligations. Ultimately, however, all of the benefits that had not been paid to Mrs. Varner were reimbursed to her. The evidence is insufficient to conclude that Congressman Hefley's inquiry of OPM's denial of Mrs. Varner's survival benefits influenced OPM to pay the claim they had earlier disputed. Further, insufficient evidence exists to find that the reason OPM ultimately recognized Mrs. Varner's claim to survival benefits in Mr. Varner's pension plan was based upon the final orders he prepared in the divorce court.