If a program that implements an activity abends, the activity’s parent receives control. (If the failed activity was run asynchronously, the parent is reactivated.) The CHECK ACTIVITY command issued by the parent returns a COMPSTATUS of ABEND--see Dealing with BTS errors and response codes.
Your application should be coded to deal with an activity abend. The parent of the failed activity might, for example, choose to do either of the following: