Life Events and Your Retirement and Insurance Benefits (for Annuitants)

RI 38-126
Revised July 1998
Prior editions are not usable.

Introduction

This booklet presents information that will help you when various circumstances in your life change. For example, you might move to another home or marry. In each instance, we have presented the best way for you to get in touch with us so we can help you quickly and effectively. Often, the information presented mentions related actions you might want to consider.

The information in this booklet applies only to persons retired under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) and their survivors. If you are a Federal employee, contact your agency's personnel office for assistance and information. If you are receiving benefits under some other retirement system (such as Foreign Service or Social Security), contact administrators of that retirement system for assistance.

How to Reach Us

By Telephone

The Office of Personnel Management is committed to providing you with the best customer service possible. To do this, we have established a toll-free telephone number 1-888-767-6738. Customers within local calling distance to Washington, DC, must contact us on 202-606-0500.

When you call on a touch tone telephone, you reach our Retirement Information Office. You will be greeted by an automatic answering system which will guide you through a menu which lists the topics our customers call about most frequently.

To use the automated features, you need your retirement claim number and your personal identification number. We continue to add features to this system to make it easier for you to take actions for yourself instead of having to wait for us to act. You have the option of talking to a Customer Service Specialist if you call during regular business hours.

If you call on a rotary telephone, you will not be able to use the automated features. However, you can stay on the line, and your call will be switched to a Customer Service Specialist if you call during regular business hours.

The automated system is available to you day and night, seven days a week. Customer Service Specialists are available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. They are not available on Federal holidays. If you are using TDD equipment, dial 1-800-878-5707.

You may also contact us for assistance using email at:

retire@opm.gov

We will respond at your email address.

By Writing to Us

We are arranging to handle more and more of your needs based on telephone calls. By providing a way for you to do more things yourself without assistance, we believe we can handle the other requests more quickly when you call us. If you want to write to us, our mailing address for general correspondence is:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Retirement Operations Center
P.O. Box 45
Boyers, PA 16017-0045

Life Events

You move

You need to call us and give us your new address. This is vital if you are getting your payments by check. If your payments go to your financial institution, we still need to have your current mailing address so we can send you important information about your benefits. If you are changing financial institutions, we can take care of that also when you call.

If you are enrolled in a health benefits plan that serves a limited geographic area, you will need to ask us to help you change plans if you moved out of the service area. Contact the plan if you have questions about the service area.

If you have state income tax withheld and you move to a different state, you need to call and stop the tax withholding. If you want to authorize state tax withholding for the state you move into, call and let us know.

You divorce

The divorce decree (court order) may say that you must continue to provide a survivor annuity or health benefits for your former spouse. Be sure to mail a certified copy of the entire court order and all attachments to our Pennsylvania office. (See address above.)

When you divorce, your spouse is no longer a family member and cannot be covered under your family health benefits enrollment. Your children can continue to be covered. If there are no children, you should change to a self-only plan. Your court order may instruct you to continue to provide health benefits for your former spouse. Call us to find out how to arrange for this coverage. If your court order does not instruct you to continue to provide health benefits coverage, your former spouse may qualify for temporary continuation of coverage for up to 36 months. If this temporary coverage is needed, you or your former spouse must call us within 60 days after the divorce.

You may want to call us and change your Federal or state income tax withholding.

You may want to change your designations of beneficiary for life insurance or for retirement. This must be in writing on the forms we provide. Call us to ask for the forms.