Frequently Asked Questions

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 If you are a Federal ANNUITANT or compensationer:

OPM's Retirement Office is the only office with access to your FEGLI life insurance records.  There are three ways to access your FEGLI coverage information:

1. Log on to Retirement Services Online to view and print a Verification of Life Insurance (VOLI).  Your VOLI will show which types of FEGLI coverage you have, your amount of coverage before reduction, your post-65 reductions, and your amount of coverage after reductions complete.

2. Email retire@opm.gov to request that your VOLI be mailed to you.  Be sure to include your retirement claim number (CSA/CSF) in your email.

3. Call 1-888-767-6738 to request that your VOLI be mailed to you.  The phone lines are open Monday through Friday 7:40 am to 5:00 pm eastern time. The phone lines can get extremely busy so we recommend calling early in the morning or late in the evening when the lines are less busy. Have your retirement claim number (CSA/CSF) or social security number handy.

Your FEGLI beneficiary records are not available online.  If you wish to change your FEGLI life insurance beneficiaries, complete this form and mail it to OPM's Retirement Office at the address on page 3: www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2823.pdf

If you are a Federal EMPLOYEE:

Contact your human resources office.  The office that maintains your Official Personnel Folder (OPF) or its equivalent is the only office with access to your FEGLI life insurance records. If you do not know what office that is or how to contact them, check with your supervisor.

You can also look on a copy of your most recent Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action, to determine the coverage you currently have:

1. In Block 27 on that form, there is a 2-character code that represents your current coverage and a definition of the code. 
2. You can look up the SF50 codes and what they mean.
3. You can then use the FEGLI Calculator to determine the current value of your FEGLI by inputting your current age, salary and type(s) of FEGLI coverage. 

If you wish to change your FEGLI life insurance beneficiaries, complete this form and submit it to your human resources office: www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf2823.pdf

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An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems.  EAPs address a broad and complex body of issues affecting mental and emotional well-being, such as alcohol and other substance abuse, stress, grief, family problems, and psychological disorders.  EAP counselors also work in a consultative role with managers and supervisors to address employee and organizational challenges and needs.  Many EAPs are active in helping organizations prevent and cope with workplace violence, trauma, and other emergency response situations. 

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If a court order awards you a portion of your former spouse’s retirement benefit, you must apply in writing to OPM. No special form is required.  Your application letter must be accompanied by—

1. A court-certified copy of the court order acceptable for processing directing OPM to pay you a portion of your former spouse’s employee annuity.
2. A statement/certification that the court order is currently in force and has not been amended, superseded, or set aside.
3. Sufficient information for OPM to identify the employee or retiree, such as your former spouse’s full name, CSRS or FERS claim number, date of birth, and social security number.
4. Your current mailing address and the current mailing address of your former spouse.
5. When a court order is subject to termination upon remarriage no payment can be made without further statement that remarriage has not occurred.

Please send your request to the address below:

Office of Personnel Management
Court Ordered Benefits Branch
P.O. Box 17
Washington, DC 20044-0017

For more information about court-ordered benefits, visit the links below:

• Handbook for Attorneys on Court-Ordered Retirement, Health Benefits and Life Insurance
• Court-Ordered Benefits for Former Spouses
• Court Orders Affecting Civil Service Retirement Benefits

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You must contact your servicing Human Resources (HR) office or personnel department within the federal agency or organization you work for. These offices will provide you with information on how to access and use eOPF.

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You may continue your health insurance coverage only if you meet the following conditions:

• Your annuity must begin within 30 days or, if you are retiring under the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) plus 10 provision of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), health and life insurance coverages are suspended until your annuity begins, even if it is postponed.
• You must be covered for health insurance when you retire.
• You must have been continuously covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, TRICARE, or the Civilian Health and Medical Program for Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS):
  • for five years immediately before retiring;or,
  • during all of your federal employment since your first opportunity to enroll;or,
  • continuously for full periods of service beginning with the enrollment that started before January 1, 1965, and ending with the date on which you become an annuitant, whichever is shortest.

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In most cases, as soon as we get all of your retirement records, we provide interim payments. These payments represent a portion of your final benefit and are usually made on the first business day of each month. We try to provide you with income until we finish processing your application.