[Claim for Unpaid Compensation for Deceased NOAA Employee]

The father of a deceased National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employee claimed the deceased employee's unpaid compensation pursuant to his suicide in international waters. GAO noted that it had required the claimant to obtain a court-issued declaration of death to legally establish his son's death. GAO held that the claimant was: (1) permitted to use a Coast Guard report in lieu of the court-issued declaration of death to support his claim and establish his son's death; and (2) entitled to the deceased employee's unpaid compensation. Accordingly, the claim was allowed.