Retirement FAQs

When we approve your application for disability retirement, we may determine that based on your medical condition you will periodically have to provide us with current medical information in order to continue receiving benefits.

Many forms are available at www.opm.gov/forms.  Most forms that active employees and annuitants will need are Standard Forms (SF) or Retirement and Insurance forms. If you need a replacement CSA 1099R statement, you can download from the Services Online site. You will need your CSA or CSF number and password. Or, you can call us at (888) 767-6738.  Or, you can send us an email at retire@opm.gov.  If you have questions or need additional assistance, please send an email to formsmanager@opm.gov.

People who will be applying for benefits on or after May 1, 2011, should be ready to sign up for direct deposit when they apply for federal benefits and understand what information they should have on-hand to sign up. This will ensure they get their benefit payments in the safest, most reliable way possible.  

• To get benefit payments by direct deposit into an existing financial institution account, people should be prepared with the following information for a smooth enrollment:

• Account type: checking or savings
• Account number
• Financial institution’s routing number

 

• To sign up for the Direct Express® card, people should notify their federal benefit agency at the time they apply for benefits. Once approved for federal benefits, they will receive their Direct Express® card and an information packet in the mail.

People who currently receive federal benefits by paper check, should make the switch today to get their money a safer, more reliable way immediately.   If the benefit recipient has a bank or credit union account, he/she should sign up for direct deposit at www.GoDirect.org, by calling (800) 333-1795, or by visiting their local bank/credit union branch or federal benefit agency office.   Those who prefer a prepaid debit card can sign up for the Direct Express® card by calling toll-free (800) 333-1795, signing up online at www.GoDirect.org, or by contacting their local federal benefit agency office. No bank account or credit check is required to sign up for the card.   (Visit www.GoDirect.org for more information about fees and the surcharge-free network.)  

Cost-of-Living Adjustments are effective each December first. The adjustment appears in your payment on the first business day of January, which is when your benefit for December is paid. Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and FERS Special Cost-of-Living Adjustments are not provided until age 62, except for disability, survivor benefits, and other special provision retirements. FERS disability retirees get the adjustment, except when they are receiving a disability annuity based on 60 percent of their high-3 average salary. Also, under FERS, if you have a CSRS component, the component is subject to the CSRS COLA calculation.

Generally, you must decide which benefit is most advantageous for you and elect to receive that one. If you decide you want to receive Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) benefits, payments from the Office of Personnel Management will be suspended. But, if your OWCP benefits stop, you can ask us to pay your disability benefit. You can receive an OWCP Scheduled Award and the Office of Personnel Management benefits at the same time. Contact us to tell us if you are awarded workers' compensation benefits and see if you need to make an election between benefits. Refer to the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) for additional information about workers' compensation benefits.

Yes.  The Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) is effective December 1, 2011, and will be reflected in the annuity payment dated January 3, 2012.  Read more about the 2012 COLA here. http://www.opm.gov/retire/annuity/cola/2012cola.asp

Survivor benefit elections for current and/or former spouses can be made only at retirement, or based on a qualifying event after retirement. The applications for retirement provide detailed information and instructions about these elections. If the marriage terminates after retirement, you must contact us and tell us that they want to elect to provide a survivor benefit for a former spouse. We will send the necessary explanation and forms to elect the benefit if you are eligible to make the election.

Please refer to our answers about payment information.

Yes, but not under your family enrollment. There are two possible options for your former spouse to remain enrolled. First, all former spouses are eligible for a Temporary Continuation of Coverage enrollment that lasts for 36 months. Second, former spouses eligible for a monthly court-ordered benefit (either a portion of your monthly benefit, or a survivor benefit upon your death) are eligible for former spouse Federal health insurance. You may wish to review the health benefits information in the Attorney's Handbook or view additional information about Health Insurance.

Electronic payments, which allow for the exchange of funds through paperless methods, are safer, easier and more reliable than paper checks. Direct deposit is the electronic transfer of a payment from a company or organization into an individual's checking or savings account. When a recipient gets their federal benefit payment electronically, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sends an electronic message to their bank or credit union account or to their Direct Express® card account crediting their account with the exact amount of their benefit. The difference is, a check isn’t printed or mailed. The government and businesses use direct deposit to transfer millions of dollars every day.   (Visit www.GoDirect.org for more information about fees and the surcharge-free network.)

Both the personnel and payroll office in your agency and OPM are responsible for processing your annuity claim.

You may receive a survivor annuity and a separate benefit that is based on your own service. Generally, if you are the surviving spouse of more than one retiree, you must elect one of the benefits. We cannot pay you two survivor annuities. However, under certain circumstances, it is possible for a widow or widower to receive more than one survivor annuity simultaneously. If, after age 55, you marry a Federal employee and you are again widowed, you may be eligible to receive annuities based on the service of both of your spouses.

You may make one of the following elections regarding a benefit to be paid to your spouse in the event of your death:

• no survivor benefit;
• partially reduced annuity; or
• a fully reduced annuity.

These elections may provide the following benefits:

• no survivor benefit;
• a full or partial annuity for a spouse;
• a full or partial annuity for a former spouse; or
• a combination of the two.

Things to consider when making the election include:

• your spouse's future retirement benefits based on his or her own employment;
• other sources of income;
• whether the other sources of income are protected against inflation with Cost-of-Living Adjustments; and
• your spouse's need for continued coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

There is an opportunity to increase survivor benefits within 18 months after the annuity begins. However, this election may be more expensive than one made at retirement.

Your Official Personnel Folder should contain a record of all of your health benefits registration forms, Standard Form 2809, and, if appropriate, Standard Form 2810, Notice of Change in Health Benefits. Be sure that when you retire, your records will show a complete history of your health insurance enrollment for the last five years.