When an employee dies, the surviving family members or named beneficiaries may be eligible for certain benefits. Report the death immediately so notifications can be made and paperwork started. It's also important to maintain contact with the family and offer assistance.
Notification is made using the Campus Guidelines for Responding to Death.
You may wish to call Employee Assistance to provide counseling to your department if the death brings up emotional difficulties for staff.
Reporting a Death
When learning of an employee's death, in addition to completing the campus notification, you should immediately contact the Survivor Benefits staff in People & Culture. They will need the following information:
- The employee's name and employee ID number
- The nearest relative's name, address, and phone number
- The date of death, cause (if an accident, there may be additional benefits due), and city where the death occurred
- The employee's last day worked
If the death occurred on campus or while traveling on University business, prepare an Employer's Report of Injury form after you notify People & Culture of the death. The Report of Injury form must be faxed immediately to Workers' Compensation or hand-carried to their office at Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way. Any documentation you may have received, such as police reports, should be mailed separately.
Death of a Dependent
You should contact the Survivor Benefits staff in People & Culture when you are notified of the death of an eligible dependent (if the employee carries dependent life insurance). If you do not know whether the employee has coverage, call the Survivor Benefits unit and they will determine whether benefits are due.
Death of a Retiree
Once you are notified of a retiree's death, complete the campus notification process and contact UCOP Customer Service at 1-800-888-8267 or customer.service@ucop.edu.
Retirement benefits may be due to the family and if the employee retired with a disability, additional insurance may be due. The beneficiaries will be contacted by the offices involved.
The Guidelines for Responding to Death also provides a helpful guide prepared at the request of former Chancellor Berdahl by a campus workgroup made up of staff, student, and faculty representatives.