Life Events and Your 

Retirement and Insurance 

Benefits (For Annuitants)

Civil Service Retirement System

(CSRS)

Federal Employees Retirement System

(FERS)
Page no. 

How to Reach Us.......................................................................................................................1


Life Events.................................................................................................................................2


You move.............................................................................................................................2


You divorce..........................................................................................................................2


You marry ............................................................................................................................3


You have a baby, a step-child, or a foster child...................................................................4


Your child reaches age 26....................................................................................................4


You reach age 65 .................................................................................................................4


Your spouse dies..................................................................................................................5


Your former spouse dies or remarries before age 55...........................................................6


Your child dies.....................................................................................................................6


You cannot handle your own money ...................................................................................7


You die.................................................................................................................................7


Information About Students and Other Survivor Annuitants.............................................7


The following events affect the amount of children’s annuities..........................................8


The following events terminate the survivor annuities of widows,


widowers, and former spouses........................................................................................8


Other Publications....................................................................................................................9


i 
Contacting Us On the Internet

Make use of Retirement Services Online. Log onto www.servicesonline.opm.gov to use your

computer in a secure, password-protected environment. At your convenience, access informati

about your annuity payment or to make changes in your mailing and direct deposit addresses,

change your Federal and State income tax withholding, view a statement describing your annu

payment, and much more. This is a time-saving tool you can use any time of the day or night.

We also provide retirement information and assistance on the Internet. You will find retiremen

brochures, forms, and other information at:

www.opm.gov/retire

You may also contact us for assistance using email at:

retire@opm.gov

We will respond to you at your email address.

By Writing to Us

If you write to us, please be sure to state your questions clearly and give your full name and

annuity claim number (CSA number). This allows us to identify the proper records promptly.

Our mailing address for general correspondence is:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Retirement Operations Center

P.O. Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017-0045.

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Information Office toll-free at 1-888-767-6738. Customer Service Specialists are available

Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time. They are not available on

Federal holidays. If you use TTY equipment, call 1-855-887-4957.

Be sure to have your annuity claim number on hand when calling a specialist.

Life Events

You move

You need to give us your new address. This is vital. If your payments go to your financial

institution, we need to have your current mailing address so we can send you important

information about your benefits. If you are changing financial institutions, we also can take ca

of that when you contact us.

If you are enrolled in a health benefits plan that serves a limited geographic area, you will need 

ask us to help you change plans if you moved out of the service area. Contact the plan if you h

questions about the service area.

If you have state income tax withheld and you move to a different state, you need to tell us to s

the tax withholding. If you want to authorize state tax withholding for your new state, let us

know.

You divorce

The divorce decree (court order) may say that you must continue to provide a survivor annuity 

health benefits for your former spouse. Be sure to mail a certified copy of the entire court orde

and all attachments to our Pennsylvania office at the address listed above. For more detailed

information, refer to publications RI 20-59 or RI 90-8 listed on page 9.

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provide health benefits for your former spouse. Contact 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 contact us with

60 days after the divorce. For more detailed information, refer to publication RI 79-2 listed on 

page 9.

A court order may instruct you to provide health benefits coverage for your children. If you ar

subject to such an order, you cannot change your coverage from family to a self-only plan. Yo

must enroll in a family plan that provides full benefits for the children in the area where they li

This applies to you as long as the court order is in effect. 

You may want to contact us and change your Federal or State income tax withholding. 

You may want to change your designation of beneficiary for life insurance or for retirement. 

This must be in writing on the forms we provide. Contact us or go to our website listed on

page 9 to obtain Standard Form 2808, Designation of Beneficiary (CSRS), Standard Form 310

Designation of Beneficiary (FERS), and Standard Form 2823, Designation of Beneficiary, 

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. 

You marry 

Write to our Pennsylvania office (see address on page 1) and send us a copy of your marriage 

certificate showing the date of the marriage and the name of your spouse. Ask us for informati

about how to provide a survivor annuity. For more detailed information refer to publication R

20-59 listed on page 9. 

To change to a family health benefits enrollment, contact us any time from 31 days before you

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 benefit

carrier to include your spouse in the coverage. 

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This must be in writing on the forms we provide. Contact us or go to our website listed on 

page 9 to obtain Standard Form 2808, Designation of Beneficiary (CSRS), Standard Form 310

Designation of Beneficiary (FERS), and Standard Form 2823, Designation of Beneficiary, 

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. 

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 famil

plan, contact the health benefits carrier to include the child in the coverage. 

You may want to contact us and change your Federal or State income tax withholding. 

You may want to change your designation of beneficiary for life insurance or for retirement. 

This must be in writing on the forms we provide. Contact us or go to our website listed on 

page 9 to obtain Standard Form 2808, Designation of Beneficiary (CSRS), Standard Form 310

Designation of Beneficiary (FERS), and Standard Form 2823, Designation of Beneficiary, 

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. 

Your child reaches age 26 

Your family health benefits coverage does not include children who are over age 26 (unless th

child is disabled). However, temporary continuation of coverage is available for up to 36 mont

If you need this coverage, contact us within 60 days after the child reaches age 26. For more 

detailed information refer to RI 79-2 listed on page 9. 

You reach age 65 

You are eligible for health benefits coverage under Medicare. Contact your local Social Securi

Office and apply for Medicare. If you are eligible for Medicare but you do not apply, you will 

a Medicare penalty from the time you do apply for Medicare until your death. 

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Your life insurance under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program will start to 

reduce at the rate of 2 percent per month beginning the second month following your 65th 

birthday. Your Basic Life insurance will reduce to 25 percent of its face value — unless you ar

paying an extra premium to prevent the reduction; Option A will reduce to 25 percent of its fac

value; Options B and C will reduce to zero — unless you are paying an extra premium to prev

the reduction. The law does not provide a way to prevent the reduction of Option A. 

We stop withholding premiums for Basic Life insurance and all options at the beginning of the 

month after you turn 65. The premiums to prevent life insurance 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, y

can cancel your optional life insurance and you can decide not to pay the extra premium to 

prevent the reduction to Basic Life insurance. However, if you cancel your Basic Life insuranc

you cannot continue any optional insurance you may have and you cannot reinstate life insuran

that you have cancelled. For more detailed information refer to RI 76-12 listed on page 9. 

Your spouse dies 

Send a copy of your spouse’s death certificate to our Pennsylvania office (see address on

page 1). If we are paying you a reduced annuity to provide a survivor annuity for your spouse, 

we may be able to increase your annuity after we have proof of your spouse's death. 

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

form. 

If there are no other eligible 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 contact us and change your Federal or State income tax withholding. 

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Designation of Beneficiary (FERS), and Standard Form 2823, Designation of Beneficiary, 

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. 

Your former spouse dies or remarries 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 your former spouse's death or 

remarriage. Contact us about either of these events. If a former spouse who was married to you 

for 30 years or more remarries before age 55, we cannot increase your annuity. 

You may want to contact us and change your Federal or State income tax withholding. 

You may want to change your designation of beneficiary for life insurance or for retirement. 

This must be in writing on the forms we provide. Contact us or go to our website listed on 

page 9 to obtain Standard Form 2808, Designation of Beneficiary (CSRS), Standard Form 310

Designation of Beneficiary (FERS), and Standard Form 2823, Designation of Beneficiary, 

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. 

Your child dies 

If there are no other eligible 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, contact us to ask for a life insuran

claim form. 

You may want to contact us and change your Federal or State income tax withholding. 

You may want to change your designation of beneficiary for life insurance or for retirement. 

This must be in writing on the forms we provide. Contact us or go to our website listed on 

page 9 to obtain Standard Form 2808, Designation of Beneficiary (CSRS), Standard Form 310

Designation of Beneficiary (FERS), and Standard Form 2823, Designation of Beneficiary, 

Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance. 

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full instructions about the needed actions to have your annuity payments made out to the famil

member or person who will be your “representative payee.” 

You die 

Your family should contact us immediately. It is illegal for anyone to cash annuity checks mad

out to you, withdraw money OPM has deposited after your death to your account in a financia

institution, or to use funds remaining on any Direct Express Debit Mastercard after your death

Your financial institution must be informed of your death. 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 the 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 survi

annuity, we will change the enrollment to self-only (if there are no other eligible family memb

covered). The enrollment will be in your spouse’s name. The carrier will provide a new I.D. ca

for your spouse. 

Information About Students and Other

Survivor Annuitants

A student annuitant is a child of a deceased Federal employee or retiree who is between the ag

of 18 and 22 and is attending school on a full-time basis. The student must be attending an 

educational institution that is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Departmen

Education. The events shown below terminate students’ and children’s annuities. When one of 

these events occurs, it is the responsibility of the person receiving the student’s annuity payme

to contact us immediately. If annuity is paid after one of these events occurs, we will have to 

recover the money from the person who is responsible. 

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2.	 A student stops going to school full time, enters the military service on active duty, ente

any of the military service academies, or transfers to a school that is not recognized by th

U.S. Department of Education. 

3.	 Any person who is receiving a child’s annuity marries. 

4.	 A disabled child receiving a child’s annuity after age 18 who is able to support 

himself/herself or significantly improves in terms of the disabling condition. 

5.	 A child who is receiving an annuity dies. 

For more detailed information refer to RI 25-27 or RI 90-12 listed on page 9. 

The following events affect the amount of children’s annuities:

1.	 For FERS only:

Any change in a child’s entitlement to Social Security benefits (if there are any children 

receiving FERS survivor annuity) affects the amount of the FERS benefit. 

2.	 The death of a widow, widower, or former spouse (regardless of whether the deceased w

receiving a survivor annuity) may affect the amount payable to the children. 

The following events terminate the survivor annuities of widows, widowers, and 

former spouses: 

1.	 The survivor annuitant dies. 

2.	 The survivor annuitant remarries before reaching age 55, unless the survivor annuitant w

married to you for at least 30 years. Then the survivor annuity does not terminate. 

3.	 A former spouse who is receiving a survivor annuity because of a court order is no longe

entitled because the court order requires termination of the annuity. 

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For more detailed information refer to RI 25-26 or RI 90-12 listed below. 

Other Publications

The booklets listed below offer more detailed information about their respective topics than is 

possible here. If you wish to request one or more of these booklets, you may call us as describ

on page 2 or send an email to retire@opm.gov. You also may find many of these on our websi

at www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/pamphlets/list.asp. 

Title Publication

Number

Information for Annuitants on the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) RI 20-59

Information for Survivor Annuitants (CSRS) RI 25-26

Survivor Benefits for Children (CSRS) RI 25-27

Information for Disability Annuitants (CSRS) RI 30-13

Information for Retirees About the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance 

Program (FEGLI)

RI 76-12 

Information for Annuitants About the Federal Employees Health Benefits 

Program

RI 79-2

Information for Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Annuitants RI 90-8

Information for FERS Survivor Annuitants RI 90-12

Information for FERS Disability Annuitants RI 98-2

9 
United State

Office f Per nnel Manage ent

Retirement Services

1900 E Street, NW

Washington, DC 20415

RI 38-126

Revised September 2012

Previous edition is usable.