US Federal Government (CSRS) Retiree, Annuitant, and
Spousal Information Links
I
prepared this note for a family friend. The purpose of this document is merely to
gain some information before one calls Government offices and attorneys. This
is not a legal opinion. I am not an attorney.
I am
putting some information together but there is no guarantee about the
completeness, applicability, appropriateness, and relevance of the information
presented below.
One
may use the information at one’s own discretion and risk.
It is
always best to consult an attorney when you need good help.
Some
of the links are commercial sites. It is not the purpose of this writer to
endorse any of them.
If you
are a FERS retiree, then you should look for appropriate links. I may redo the
document for FERS retirees later on.
1.
Retirement
System:
US Federal government employees who joined the
service before 1982 or so came under Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
(Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
applies to those who joined Federal Government Service after January 1, 1984.)
Information
about this retirement system is available at the following link.
The
retiree will have a Civil Service Retirement Number (Claim Number or CS number)
will be required in all correspondence with the OPM (Office of Personnel
management) of the US Government.
Their
basic annuity is calculated as given at the following link:
2. Retirees or Family Members:
Survivors of Annuitants Under the Civil Service Retirement
System (CSRS)-
Information
is available at this link.
Information
is available online.
The
employee/retiree’s CS number has to be entered to get more information. Each
employee will have a CS number. It will be on a card that the employee may
have.
If
one is not readily available, OPM (Office of Personnel Management) can be
called and the number obtained.
Some
private organizations also provide information. Here is some information from
Government Executive Magazine. This is explained quite well here. Some example
calculations are also provided there.
(Note:
FERS is different from CSRS, and CSRS Retirees and their survivors can ignore
information related to FERS employees.)
NARFE
(National Association of Retired Federal Employees) also provides information
about retirement and spousal benefits in their magazines, newsletters, and
website.
http://www.narfe.org/FederalBenefitsInstitute/ (Information is
available free of cost to members only. Som discontinued his membership.)
3.
Life Events:
Life
events are explained here.
4.
Life Insurance and Health Insurance:
It
is possible that a retiree may have some life insurance based on what he opted
for. It is called Federal
Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI).
a)
Please see Item 10 for FEGLI information.
b)
Health insurance is called FEHB.
They
may be called and the beneficiary information checked.
They
will usually ask for Social Security number, CS number, and date of Birth.
5.
Social Security:
If
the person worked for private industry, he may have some Social Security
coming. That may be adjusted based on the pension that the amount of pension
the person receives.
Surviving
spouse may also qualify for a part of the Social Security benefit.
Questions
should be addressed to Social Security Administration.
I found that it is better to visit your local Social
Security Office than calling them on the phone.
6.
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
CSRS
employees do not get any government contribution to TSP. But they could
contribute to TSP and defer paying taxes on those contributions.
Check
if a person has TSP contributions.
A
retiree 70 and ½ years and older would have already been withdrawing Required
Minimum Withdrawal (RMD) amount. The balance will go to the surviving
beneficiary.
7.
Divorce and what pension goes to
divorced spouse:
a)
Here are links with information.
b)
You may have a court document(s) describing the financial obligations; check
them. If you do not have them with you, you can get them from the court where
the settlement took place. Most such public documents are obtainable online
now.
8.
What annuity does a surviving spouse of
a Federal retiree get?
9.
Contacting OPM:
What
the pension a retiree is getting and what insurance premiums he is paying will
be known from the notice that OPM sends the retiree annually. There is a lot of
information there.
10. Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program:
How much FEGLI life insurance coverage do I have?
Please see the following website and call the phone number for information.
https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/insurance-faqs/life/
Reading this FAQ about FEGLI may answer one’s questions.
How much Federal Employees Group Life Insurance do I have?
http://fedretire.net/a-life-insurance-check-up-understanding-fegli-coverage-%e2%80%93-part-1/ (Federal retire.net may be a private company and not a government agency)
If you are retired
contact OPM at 1-888-767-6738 if you don’t have a record of what you elected
for coverage. You can also contact FEGLI at the number located on our web site
at http://federalretirement.net/fegli.htm. If retired, check the copies of your retirement
paperwork.
https://answers.nssc.nasa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/4914/~/how-do-i-change-my-beneficiary-for-fegli%3F
Designation of beneficiary form:
https://www.opm.gov/Forms/pdf_fill/sf2823.pdf
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_018278.pdf
Where to send the form:
https://answers.nssc.nasa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/4950/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xNDkzNTIxMjQyL3NpZC9HVnhua21obg%3D%3D
11. ID Numbers to have ready:
When you call Government Offices, they will ask for some key ID numbers. You get such information from the documents that you have in your files.
You need not visit OPM offices. Most work can be done over the phone. Some work can be done online, if you have registered and remember your User ID and Password.
a)
Notice of Annuity Adjustment:
This
document comes from OPM (Boyers, Pennsylvania office) once every year (and at
other times when cost of living adjustments are made for your pension).
This
will describe how much annuity a retiree gets and how it is dispersed. This document
might provide a lot of information that one need not ask OPM about.
It
also has the Claim number or CSA number (8 digits). This number will be needed
when OPM Retirement Services is contacted.
(When
a Federal employee retires, his/her files are sent to Boyers, Pennsylvania
office and Washington DC office may not have them. The DC office may contact
Boyers or look at computer files. This is my knowledge; I hope it is correct.)
b)
Statement of Annuity Paid:
This
document comes (in late January or early February each year) just before you
prepare income taxes. It also comes from OPM’s Boyer, Pennsylvania office.
c)
Social Security Numbers:
You
would have them on cards or you would have them on your tax filing documents.
d)
Social Security Benefit Statement:
If
any social security is being paid to you, this statement comes for the Social
Security office in February each year.
e)
Date of Birth:
Date
of Birth, place of birth will be asked by some or most offices.
{It is important to record such information on paper and put it in a safe deposit box at your bank. If you forget such information, you can readily get it or your trusted loved ones can get it for you to help you.}
--- o ---
