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http://www.opm.gov/BLOGS/Retire/2011/?page=2

20
MAY
Posted 1:51 PM by Bill Zielinski

As widely reported in the news, our government has reached its debt limit.  U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner has since declared a “debt issuance suspension period” for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (which funds our retirees).  By law this allows the Treasury to redeem (or cash out) a portion of existing Treasury securities held by the fund.  The same law also requires that the government repay the fund with interest.

 Bottom line: This action will not affect CSRS and FERS annuity payments to retirees.  All payments will continue as normal and on schedule. 

 Thank you for your time.  I hope you find this information useful and we look forward to providing you more information in the future.


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We would like to share some very important news with you regarding the payment of your Federal retirement benefits. The U.S. Department of Treasury has made changes affecting the way you will receive payment. Everyone will be required to change to direct deposit or receive a debit card (if you do not have a bank account). If you already have direct deposit, congratulations and thank you! If you don’t, please sign up with us now. The U.S. Treasury will be sending an official notice very soon.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you don’t have to worry about your paper check being delayed in the mail, lost or stolen? Well, more than 95% of all Federal retirees receive their payments by direct deposit and they feel secure that their payments will arrive on time and are immediately available to them. Our direct deposit occurs on the first business day of each month!

To help you sign up for Direct Deposit, we are providing many options: 

  1. You can make your change on your online retirement account at https://www.servicesonline.opm.gov.
  2. You can fax an SF 1199A form to 724-794-6633. This form can be obtained from your financial institution.
  3. You can mail an SF 1199A form to OPM, Retirement Operations, PO Box 440, Boyers PA 16017-0440.
  4. You can call us at 1-888-767-6738. Please be sure to have your bank routing number and account number handy.
  5. You can visit www.GoDirect.org or call GoDirect at 1-800-333-1795.



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On behalf of Retirement Services, I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the people of Japan who have experienced such tremendous loss.

We have established a dedicated a phone line for our Federal retirees and their families living in the area: 202-606-8142. Whether you need to report a payment disruption or death, please contact us immediately.

You may also contact us via email at retire@opm.gov or via phone at 888-767-6738.

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10
MAR
Posted 1:05 PM by Bill Zielinski

Did you know that we receive more claims and calls during the first three months of each year? It’s true.  The first three months of every year are always our busiest months. During this time we are processing the end of year retirements and all changes and additions to healthcare due to our annual open season.

And chances are pretty strong that you are trying to process your paperwork for taxes and other financial transactions, too. If you have tried to contact us recently, you may have received a busy signal. We are currently experiencing a large call volume and an increase in claims as a result of our busy season, but we want to help you with your needs.

We are doing everything we can to improve service to you. In an effort to serve you better, we have authorized overtime for our current specialists and will continue to do so this year.

Here's a hint: The best times to reach us are first thing in the morning as we open at 7:30am EST, or Thursdays and Fridays in the afternoon. Our number is 888-767-6738 but you may also contact us via email at retire@opm.gov.

We are confident that we will decrease our call and claim volume. In the meantime, our commitment and service to you is our highest priority and we thank you for your patience.


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Hello, my name is Bill Zielinski and I am the Associate Director of Retirement Services at the Office of Personnel Management. I have the privilege of leading the staff who takes care of the day to day business, questions and issues that you may have after retiring from your Federal career. We are pleased to launch our new Retirement Information Center (RIC). This site will assist us in keeping you informed of important issues that affect you as a Federal retiree.

You may have noticed a change to your annuitant federal tax withholding in your February check. We’ve been getting a lot of calls and inquiries about this, so I’d like to explain to you how this change occurred.

On December 16, 2010, Congress voted not to extend the "Making Work Pay" credit, which was part of the 2009 Stimulus Package. Because this credit ended on December 31, 2010, the amount of tax withholding increased for a lot of people. This is why you saw the tax change in your February check.

If you now want to change the amount of your withholding, let me suggest how you can do this. The change is easy to make, but keep in mind it won’t reduce your tax liability at the end of the year. Before making any changes, you may want to use our federal tax calculator to determine the appropriate amount to withhold. You may also want to consult a tax advisor for your own specific needs.

Here’s what you can do to change your tax withholding amount. You can access www.opm.gov/retire using your login information or you can call our temporary tax line at 1-800-307-8298 between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern Standard time. Because we are receiving a large volume of calls, I would suggest you try our website first.

Also, you may want more information about taxes and the tables we use to set withholding amounts. You can get a lot of good information by going to the Internal Revenue Service website at www.irs.gov or you can go to IRS Notice 1036, TABLE 4-MONTHLY Payroll Period PDF file.

I hope you find this information useful and we look forward to providing you more information in the future!


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