Sailors Must Verify Their Death Gratuity Beneficiary
By DoD News
From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) — Due to a change in the law regarding death gratuity and recent upgrades to the Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System (NSIPS), officials are urging Sailors to verify their designated death gratuity beneficiaries beginning March 17.
“The change in the law allows Sailors to designate their gratuity in 10 percent increments to more than one beneficiary,” said John Courtney, Pay, Personnel and Benefits section head, Bureau of Naval Personnel.
The death gratuity is a benefit paid to eligible beneficiaries of a Sailor who dies while on active duty or while traveling to or from such duty. The total gratuity paid is $100,000, and Sailors may designate one or more persons to receive it. The amount paid to each beneficiary is specified on their Record of Emergency Data (Page 2) in 10 percent increments. If a Sailor is married, but designates someone other than the spouse to receive the gratuity, the Sailor’s command is required to notify the spouse of the designation in a letter.
“The death gratuity is a different benefit from the Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance (SGLI),” said Courtney. “SGLI is a life insurance benefit and those beneficiaries are annotated when a Sailor fills out form ‘SGLV 8286’ upon initial entry and whenever they want to update beneficiary and settlement option designations, and when declining or reducing coverage.”
The ability for Sailors to designate someone other than their next-of-kin on their Record of Emergency Data (Page 2) was announced in NAVADMIN 189/07. A change in the law further modified the death gratuity designation and was outlined in NAVADMIN 134/08.
“All Sailors should access their NSIPS Electronic Service Record and verify their ‘Page 2’ data,” said Courtney.
Sailors who need to change their beneficiary data should contact their Command PASS Coordinator (CPC) or servicing personnel office.
For more information, Sailors should contact their CPC, personnel office or visit Navy Personnel Command’s website at www.npc.navy.mil to read the applicable messages.
For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.
