NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps)
Death notification, 5 survivor benefits, and required documents
OverviewWhen someone dies
NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) Headquarters
Phone301-713-1045
Mailing Address
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
WebsiteVisit website→
NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center — Officer Personnel Management Division
Mailing Address
Commissioned Personnel Center, 1315 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910
WebsiteLearn about benefits→
NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center — Director
Mailing Address
Commissioned Personnel Center, 1315 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910
WebsiteLearn more →
Verified Jul 2026
The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps is one of the nation's eight uniformed services, with approximately 360 officers who operate NOAA's fleet of research and survey ships and specialized environmental data-collecting aircraft. Officers are part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and serve under 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(5)(B). When an active duty, reserve, or retired NOAA Corps officer dies, families work with the NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center (CPC) for casualty assistance, survivor benefits, and burial honors — the same uniformed-services benefits framework that covers the armed forces.
Death notification
When a NOAA Corps officer dies on active duty, the officer's command and the NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center (CPC) coordinate next-of-kin notification, casualty assistance, and benefit claims following NOAA Corps Directives Chapter 11 (Casualties and Decedent Affairs). For deaths of retired NOAA Corps officers, the surviving spouse or family member should notify CPC by contacting the Officer Personnel Management Division so retired pay can be stopped, Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities started, and TRICARE survivor coverage continued. Families should also notify the VA, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), and the SGLI/VGLI insurer (OSGLI) separately.
Deadline: Notify CPC as soon as possible. Reporting a retiree death promptly prevents an overpayment of retired pay that would later be recouped from the estate. SGLI/VGLI death claims and the SBP annuity application should be filed without delay.
Survivor benefits
The NOAA Corps offers 5 benefits for surviving family members.
Death Gratuity
A one-time, tax-free payment authorized under 10 U.S.C. 1475 et seq. to help surviving family members of NOAA Corps officers who die on active duty or in certain inactive-duty status. The death gratuity is administered by the Secretary of Commerce (or designee) for NOAA Corps officers, mirroring the framework used by the armed forces.
Amount: $100,000 (statutory amount under 10 U.S.C. 1478, subject to congressional adjustment)
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
Active duty NOAA Corps officers are automatically enrolled in SGLI at the maximum $500,000 coverage level (in $50,000 increments) unless they decline or reduce coverage. SGLI is administered by the VA and underwritten by the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (OSGLI) at Prudential. Death claims are filed directly with OSGLI.
Amount: Up to $500,000, payable in a lump sum or as a 36-month installment
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Annuity
An ongoing monthly annuity for the surviving spouse (and/or eligible children) of a NOAA Corps officer who was retired and enrolled in SBP, or who died on active duty after becoming eligible to retire. SBP for uniformed services members is established under 10 U.S.C. Chapter 73 and pays up to 55% of the officer's elected base amount of retired pay. For NOAA Corps retirees, monthly retired pay and SBP annuities are administered through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) under interagency arrangement.
Amount: Up to 55% of the officer's elected SBP base amount, paid monthly for life (spouse coverage ends if the surviving spouse remarries before age 55)
TRICARE Survivor Coverage
Surviving family members of NOAA Corps officers (active duty, retired, or deceased while on active duty) remain eligible for TRICARE health coverage. Surviving spouses keep coverage unless they remarry; surviving children keep coverage to age 21 (or 23 if a full-time student). The specific TRICARE plan available depends on the sponsor's status at the time of death. DEERS enrollment must be updated to survivor status.
VA Survivor Benefits (DIC, Burial, Cemetery)
NOAA Corps commissioned officers who served on full-time duty on or after July 29, 1945, are recognized as veterans for VA purposes. Eligible survivors may apply for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) if the death was service-connected, plus burial allowance and interment in a VA national cemetery. NOAA Corps officers wear uniforms and ranks parallel to the Navy and are eligible for military funeral honors.
Forms
SGLV 8283Claim for Death Benefits (SGLI)
Beneficiary claim for SGLI life insurance proceeds after the death of an active duty NOAA Corps officer
View form →DD 2656-7Verification for Survivor Annuity
Surviving spouse application to start the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity after a retired uniformed services member's death
View form →VA 21P-534EZApplication for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits
Surviving spouse, child, or parent application for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
View form →VA 21P-530EZApplication for Burial Benefits
Survivor or executor claim for VA burial allowance and plot/interment allowance
View form →When someone dies
Notifying the NOAA Corps after a death
7-step process, 8 required documents, and 5 survivor benefits.
View details →Frequently asked questions
The NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), which houses the NOAA Corps and the Commissioned Personnel Center, is located at 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. The OMAO front desk is 301-713-1045. The Commissioned Personnel Center occupies the 10th floor.
NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) Headquarters
Phone301-713-1045
Mailing Address
Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
WebsiteVisit website→
NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center — Officer Personnel Management Division
Mailing Address
Commissioned Personnel Center, 1315 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910
WebsiteLearn about benefits→
NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center — Director
Mailing Address
Commissioned Personnel Center, 1315 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910
WebsiteLearn more →
Verified Jul 2026