Printing - FECA-PT2 - National Association of Letter Carriers

Illegitimate children and posthumous children of the deceased are also entitled to compensation (a
posthumous child is entitled to benefits effective the date of its birth). Excluded are married children and
foster children. Compensation payable to, or on behalf of, a child is continued until the child dies,
marries, or becomes 18, or, if over 18 and incapable of self-support, becomes capable of self-support.
a. Student Status. Where a child has reached the age of 18 and has indicated no intention to
attend school after high school, compensation should cease at the end of the month in which the
child graduated from high school. Compensation paid on behalf of an unmarried child which would
otherwise be terminated at age 18 may continue, however, if the child is a student pursuing a
full-time course of study or training at an accredited institution. Such benefits may be paid for four
years of education beyond the high school level, or until the beneficiary reaches age 23, whichever
comes first [see 20 C.F.R. 10.417 and 5U.S.C. 8101(17)].
(1) A "year of education beyond the high school level" is defined as:
(a) The 12-month period beginning the month after the child graduates from high
school, if the child has indicated an intention to continue in school during the next
regular session, and each successive 12-month period, provided that school
attendance continues.
(b) The 12-month period beginning on the date the child actually enters school to
continue education, if the child has indicated that he or she will not attend during the
next regular session, and each successive 12-month period, provided that
attendance continues.
(2) A year of entitlement based on student status means any year during all or part of
which compensation is paid based on school attendance. Therefore, if a beneficiary should
decide for any reason not to attend school for part of a year during which benefits were paid
on account of student status, that beneficiary would be charged with having used an entire
year of eligibility out of the allotted four years, even though compensation terminates when
the beneficiary leaves school. If a child has already completed one or two more years of
college before turning 18, they would be deducted from the four years of entitlement.
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