---
kind: "section"
citation: "5 U.S.C. § 8119"
title: "5"
title_heading: "Government Organization and Employees"
number: "8119"
heading: "Notice of injury or death"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/5/8119"
units:
  - "Part III — Employees"
  - "Subpart G — Insurance and Annuities"
  - "Chapter 81 — Compensation for Work Injuries"
  - "Subchapter I — Generally"
---

# §8119. Notice of injury or death


An [employee](/usc/5/8101.md?p=1) injured in the performance of his duty, or someone on his behalf, shall give notice thereof. Notice of a death believed to be related to the employment shall be given by an [eligible](/usc/5/4701.md?p=a-3) beneficiary specified in [section 8133 of this title](/usc/5/8133.md), or someone on his behalf. A notice of [injury](/usc/5/8101.md?p=5) or death shall—

- (a) be given within 30 days after the [injury](/usc/5/8101.md?p=5) or death;
- (b) be given to the immediate superior of the [employee](/usc/5/8101.md?p=1) by personal delivery or by depositing it in the mail properly stamped and addressed;
- (c) be in writing;
- (d) [state](/usc/5/8521.md?p=a-3) the name and address of the [employee](/usc/5/8101.md?p=1);
- (e) [state](/usc/5/8521.md?p=a-3) the year, month, day, and hour when and the particular locality where the [injury](/usc/5/8101.md?p=5) or death occurred;
- (f) [state](/usc/5/8521.md?p=a-3) the cause and nature of the [injury](/usc/5/8101.md?p=5), or, in the case of death, the employment factors believed to be the cause; and
- (g) be signed by and contain the address of the individual giving the notice.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 89–554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 543; Pub. L. 93–416, § 12(a), Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1146.)

## Notes

| Historical and Revision Notes |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Derivation | U.S. Code | Revised Statutes and<br>Statutes at Large |
| (a) | 5 U.S.C. 765. | Sept. 7, 1916, ch. 458, § 15, 39 Stat. 746. |
|  | 5 U.S.C. 766. | Sept. 7, 1916, ch. 458, § 16, 39 Stat. 746. |
| (b) | 5 U.S.C. 767. | Sept. 7, 1916, ch. 458, § 17, 39 Stat. 746. |

Subsection (b)(2) is added on authority of former section 770, which is carried into section 8122, to complete the coverage of this section.

Administration of this subchapter was transferred to the Secretary of Labor by section 1 of 1950 Reorg. Plan No. 19, 64 Stat. 1271 (see section 8145).

Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1974—Pub. L. 93–416 substituted “or death” for “; failure to give” in section catchline, struck out designation of subsec. (a), redesignated cls. (1) to (7) as (a) to (g), and, as so redesignated, inserted provisions relating to notice of death and substituted “30 days” for “48 hours” in cl. (a), and struck out subsec. (b) relating to allowance of compensation.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1974 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 93–416 effective Sept. 7, 1974, and applicable to any injury or death occurring on or after Sept. 7, 1974, see section 28(a) of Pub. L. 93–416, set out as a note under section 8101 of this title.