FERCCA

I work in an agency Human Resource office. Recently, while processing the personnel file of an employee who died, I noticed that the individual had the wrong retirement coverage. Should I register the individual in the FERCCA Database under his name and Social Security number or register his wife, as his survivor, using her name and Social Security number? View more

You should register the survivor using her name and Social Security number. There is a designated field on the Survivor registration form to enter the decedent's name, date of birth and Social Security number. There is also a mandatory field, which requires the OPM claim number. In a case such as this, put an "F" as the claim number suffix (CSF) and enter all 0's as the claim number. In the comments field, include the date of death along with the agency and sub agency the decedent last worked for.
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I'm ready to retire, and my agency just discovered I'm in the wrong retirement plan. Shouldn't it correct my records before I retire? View more

We've asked agencies not to correct any retirement coverage errors they discover if the employee has been in the wrong plan for at least 3 years. We want them to leave the employee in his or her current retirement plan, place a flag on the retirement application package, so that when OPM receives it, it can be readily identified as a FERCCA case requiring special handling. We won't hold up paying your benefits until you have an opportunity to choose. We'll put you on our benefit rolls. When we have all our counselors in place, we'll give you a chance to talk to a counselor, weigh the benefits of both retirement systems, and choose the one that best fits your needs.
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I work in an agency Human Resources Office and we have registered several employees in the FERCCA Database over the past few months. We just discovered that one of the individuals should not have been registered. How do we go about having the individual's name removed from the Database? View more

You can call the FERCCA Hotline at 1-888-689-3233, send an email to FERCCA@opm.gov, or send a fax to 202-606-1108 Attn: FERCCA Implementation. Please provide us with the individual's name and at least one other identifying piece of information, such as date of birth, and the reason why the individual should be removed from the database.
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How do I make an election? Will someone be available to help me decide what to do? View more

In the coming months, OPM will be providing agencies and employees with detailed information about FERCCA, the different retirement plans, and how you make an election.

OPM wants to make sure that you receive complete counseling about your options before you make your election. Once you make your election, you cannot change it. OPM will contact you and provide you with detailed information regarding your options under FERCCA. For example, you will know how much you can expect to receive under each retirement plan, including Social Security and Thrift Savings Plan benefits. You do not have to make an election until you have had the opportunity to ask all questions you have about your retirement benefits.

We at OPM realize that some of you may be postponing retirement or other major events until your retirement coverage error is resolved. While we will provide election information and benefits counseling as soon as possible, we will make special provisions for those individuals who need to make an election immediately.
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If I retire from the Government, can I still get lost earnings on make-up contributions I made when my agency fixed the retirement error and put me in FERS? View more

Yes. You can get lost earnings on the make-up contributions you already made to your TSP account, if you decide to stay in FERS. You cannot get lost earnings if you choose CSRS Offset coverage over FERS.
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I belonged in FERS. My agency discovered the mistake and corrected my records. I separated and withdrew my FERS retirement contributions. Can I now make an election under FERCCA? View more

No, you can't elect to change your FERS retirement coverage if you took a refund of all FERS retirement deductions.
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I'm retiring and I'm in the wrong retirement plan. My agency says I have a choice of retirement plans under FERCCA. It will be a while before OPM's counselors can contact everyone affected by FERCCA. I've had some serious health problems recently. I'm concerned about my wife and family. What will happen if I die before making a choice? View more

Your widow will be able to make the same choices that you would have been able to make.

While we will provide election information and benefits counseling as soon as possible, we will make special provisions for those individuals who need to make an election immediately. If you are still working, let your agency know, and it will contact OPM. If you have already retired, contact OPM directly by calling us toll free at 1-888-767-6738.
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I'm in FERS and plan to retire on an MRA + 10 retirement soon. Under FERCCA, I will have a choice between CSRS Offset and FERS. If I retire, will I still have that choice? View more

You'll have a choice, but by leaving, you limit your options considerably. That's because MRA + 10 retirements are unique to FERS. You may not be eligible to retire under CSRS, where you need 30 years of service to retire at 55. If you leave Government, your choice would be to stay in FERS and take an MRA + 10 retirement that can begin immediately, or choose CSRS Offset and wait until age 62 to receive a deferred retirement.
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What are lost earnings? View more

Lost earnings are earnings that you would have received if your TSP make-up contributions were deposited when they would have been deposited had you been in the correct retirement plan.
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I work in an agency human resources office and I added many employee names to the FERCCA File Database. How do I know if the employees are correctly listed in the database? View more

We at OPM will send reports to agency headquarters benefits officers that list the agency employees that are registered in the FERCCA File database. Benefits Officers should review the list and send us the points of contact for each employee's payroll and human resources offices.
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Frequently Asked Questions Retirement

FERCCA

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