Other Policies

A. References

Personnel Policies for Staff Members

• Policy 83, Death Payments

Standing Orders of the Regents

• 103.8, Death Benefits

UC Accounting Manual

• P-196-25, Employee Death Payments, Appendix IV, Definition of Dependent

UCI Payroll/Personnel On-line System Procedure Manual, Section 8.1

B. Authority and Responsibility

1. The department notifies the Benefits Office of the employee's death, separates the employee, and reports vacation hours due to Payroll.
2. The Benefits Office notifies Payroll to prepare the Death Payment for the appropriate survivor.
3. Payroll disburses the check.

C. Definitions

1. Employee - A regular status employee who has been on pay status for at least six continuous months prior to death at 50 percent time or more without a break in service.
2. Spouse - A legal spouse, as evidenced by a valid marriage certificate.
3. Eligible dependents - Specific to this policy, as defined by the Internal Revenue code, dependent is someone who received from the employee more than 50 percent of the dependent's support in a calendar year. (see P-196-25, Appendix IV).
4. Beneficiary - Eligible survivors or person(s) designated by an employee to receive a life insurance benefit upon the employee's death.

D. Procedures

These procedures are to be utilized in the event of the death of an employee on active pay status.

1. Department Responsibilities
   1. Notify the Campus Benefits Office with the following information:
      • Date of death
        Cause of death, if known
        Surviving relative name, phone number, and relationship
        Name of individual who reported death, and phone number
   2. Separate the employee.
      • 1) The Department's Payroll/Personnel coordinator will separate the employee in the on-line EDB, using the date of death as the termination date (see UCI Payroll/Personnel On-line System Procedure Manual, Section 8.1).
      • 2) The Department Coordinator will prepare a separation IDOC, annotated with the number of terminal vacation hours due, and send it to Payroll.
      • 3) No further time should be reported to the Payroll/Personnel System for the deceased employee.
2. Campus Benefits Office Responsibilities
   1. Campus Benefits discusses applicable benefits with survivor(s) and counsels as appropriate.
   2. Campus Benefits determines the deceased employee's benefits enrollments and designated beneficiary(ies), and notifies Payroll.
   3. Campus Benefits notifies the UC Retirement System (UCRS) of the employee's death to insure that systemwide coordinated benefits will be processed appropriately. UCRS notifies beneficiary(ies) of retirement and savings claims processes.
   4. Campus Benefits notifies the appropriate UC and UCI departments of the employee's death.
   5. Campus Benefits prepares claim forms for applicable insurance benefits.
3. Payroll Responsibilities
   1. Upon notification by the Benefits Office of an employee death, Payroll takes immediate steps to insure that incorrect salary payments will not be transmitted to the deceased employee. This includes changing an employee's home department code to the Accounting Office.
   2. Per policy, Payroll transmits to survivor(s) a payment equivalent to one month of salary, along with a letter of condolence and a Survivor's Questionnaire, for the determination of beneficiary. Payment is made on a non-payroll check request.
   3. Upon determination of the appropriate recipient, Payroll disburses final earnings. Payment is made on a non-payroll check request.

E. Applicability

All staff members.