Receiving Your Benefits

Spousal Rights to CRP Benefits

Your spouse has special rights under CRP. If you are married when your benefit payments begin, those payments must be made in the form of a Survivor Annuity providing a monthly benefit to your surviving spouse of at least 50% of your monthly benefit.

If you wish to elect a form of payment that does not provide at least 50% of your annuity benefit to your surviving spouse, federal law requires that you waive the Survivor Annuity Option in writing and that your spouse consent to your waiver. Your spouse’s written consent must be notarized or signed in the presence of a Benefits Office representative.

If you wish to designate a co-annuitant or beneficiary other than your spouse (as applicable, depending on the form of payment you select), federal law requires that your spouse consent to that designation. Your spouse’s written consent must be notarized or signed in the presence of a Benefits Office representative.

Your waiver of the Survivor Annuity Option and/or designation of a co-annuitant or beneficiary other than your spouse must be made during the 90-day period before your benefit payments begin. The waiver, designation, and spousal consent forms are included with the benefit application that must be completed when you request a payment from CRP.

While this Summary Plan Description summarizes the major provisions of this plan, it does not provide you with every plan detail. The plan documents, which govern this plan, provide full details. If there are any discrepancies between this Summary Plan Description and the legal plan documents, the legal plan documents control.