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

Write to our Pennsylvania office (see address on page 2), and send us a copy of your marriage certificate showing the date of the marriage and the name of your spouse. We will send you information about how to provide a survivor annuity.

To change to a family health benefits enrollment, call us any time from 31 days before your marriage to 60 days afterward. Otherwise, you will have to wait until the next health benefits open season to make the change. If you already have a family plan, contact the health benefits carrier to include your spouse in the coverage.

You may want to change your Federal or state income tax withholding. Call us to make this change.

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.

You have a baby, a step-child, or a foster child

If you do not already have a family health benefits enrollment, we can change your enrollment to a family plan if you ask within 60 days after you have the child. If you already have a family plan, contact the health benefits carrier to include the child in the coverage.

You may want to change your Federal or state income tax withholding. Call us to make this change.

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.

Your child reaches age 22

Your family health benefits coverage does not include children who are over age 22 (unless the child is disabled). However, temporary continuation of coverage is available for up to 36 months. If you need this coverage, call us within 60 days after the child reaches age 22.

You reach age 65

You are eligible for health benefits coverage under Medicare. Contact your local Social Security Office and apply for Medicare. If you are eligible for Medicare but you do not apply, you will pay a Medicare penalty from the time you do apply for Medicare until you die.

When you are eligible for Medicare, you have the option of asking us to change your health benefits enrollment to a less expensive plan. You may make this change 30 days before you are 65 or at any time thereafter.

Your life insurance under the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program will start to reduce at the rate of 2% per month beginning the second month following your 65th birthday. Your Basic Life insurance will reduce to 25% of its face value - unless you are paying an extra premium to prevent the reduction; Option A will reduce to 25% of its face value; Options B and C reduce to zero. People who retired on or after December 9, 1980, had the option of paying the extra premium for No Reduction or a 50% reduction in Basic Life.

We stop withholding premiums for Basic Life insurance and all options the beginning of the month after you are 65. The premiums to prevent Basic Life from reducing begin at retirement and continue as long as you live.

You can reduce the cost of your life insurance only by reducing your coverage. For example, you can cancel your optional life insurance and you can decide not to pay to prevent the reduction to Basic Life insurance. However, if you cancel your Basic Life insurance, you cannot continue any optional insurance you may have and cannot reinstate life insurance that you have cancelled.

Your spouse dies

Send a copy of your spouse's death certificate to our Pennsylvania office. (See page 2 for address.)

If your spouse is covered by Option C - Family life insurance, ask us for a life insurance claim form.

If there are no other family members, you should ask us to change your health benefits to a self-only enrollment. You can do this at any time.

You may want to change your Federal or state income tax withholding. Call us to make this change.

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.

Your former spouse dies or marries before age 55

If we are paying you a reduced annuity to provide a survivor annuity for your former spouse, we may be able to increase your annuity after we have proof of the death or marriage. Call us about either of these events.

You may want to change your Federal or state income tax withholding. Call us to make this change.

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.

Your child dies

If there are no other family members, you should ask us to change your health benefits to a self-only enrollment. You can do this at any time.

If your child is covered by Option C - Family life insurance, call us to ask for a life insurance claim form.

You may want to change your Federal or state income tax withholding. Call us to make this change.

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.

You cannot handle your own money

If you become mentally or physically incompetent, a family member or someone who is able to take care of you and your affairs should call us as soon as possible. We will give the person full instructions about the needed actions to have your annuity payments made out to the family member or person who will be your "representative payee."

You die

Your family should call us immediately. It is illegal for anyone to cash annuity checks made out to you or to withdraw money OPM has deposited after your death to your account in a financial institution. We will need a copy of your death certificate. When we hear of your death from your family or other representative, we will send them any forms they need and will give them full instructions about how to proceed.

If you have a family health benefits enrollment and your spouse is eligible for a monthly survivor annuity, we will change the enrollment to self-only (if there are no other family members covered). The enrollment will be in your spouse's name. The carrier will provide a new I.D. card for your spouse.

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