Countdown to COLA

coverage in retirement. If you enroll in an FEHB plan during the annual Open Season period, remember Open Season changes for most federal employees are effective the first day of the first full pay period that begins in January. Since the last day of the month is usually the best date for most FERS employees to retire, January 31st might be a good day to retire if you were planning to retire shortly after the FEHB coverage commenced.

Under certain circumstances, including coverage under TRICARE, retirees and survivor annuitants may “suspend” coverage and premium payments under FEHB. You would need to contact OPM for assistance. There is a regulation allowing individuals to revoke the suspension and reenroll in FEHB during the annual Open Season, or immediately if they are involuntarily disenrolled from the non-FEHB coverage. If the annuitant was enrolled in Self and Family or Self Plus One coverage when he/she suspended FEHB coverage and planned to leave a survivor annuity, the survivor annuitant can reenroll in the FEHB program under the same conditions as an annuitant. FEHB coverage and premium payments can be suspended indefinitely. Surviving spouses remain eligible for TRICARE unless they remarry, in which case the loss of TRICARE coverage would be a qualifying life event (QLE) to allow reenrollment in FEHB without waiting for Open Season. FEHB coverage can continue for a surviving spouse but will not cover their new spouse or his or her dependents. A similar QLE would allow you to revoke the suspension your FEHB coverage if you lost TRICARE due to divorce.

QI waived my FEGLI coverage earlier in my federal career, but after taking a retirement planning class, I’m thinking about signing up for Basic coverage for the last 5 years of my career so I can keep it in retirement. I haven’t heard any announcements regarding an upcoming Open Season for FEGLI, and I don’t have any qualifying life events planned that would allow me to reenroll. Is there any other way that I can enroll into FEGLI so I can retire with the coverage five years from now?

AThere have only been 10 FEGLI Open Seasons since the introduction of the program in 1954. The last Open Season was held in 2016. As of the time of this writing, there are no FEGLI open enrollments planned.

If at least one year has passed since the effective date of your last waiver of life insurance coverage, you may provide satisfactory medical information at your own expense using the Request for Insurance form (SF 2822). The SF 2822 is available for download at www.opm.gov/ forms/pdf_fill/sf2822.pdf. You

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPIW) increased 0.08% in September 2022. To calculate the 2023 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), the 2022 third-quarter % Change indices were averaged from 253.412 and compared with OCTOBER 2021 271.552 0.92 1.17 the 2021 third-quarter NOVEMBER 273.042 0.55 1.72 average of 268.421. The percentage DECEMBER 273.925 0.32 2.05 increase determined JANUARY 2022 276.296 0.87 2.93 the 2023 COLA, 8.7%. FEBRUARY 278.943 0.96 3.92 September’s index, MARCH 283.176 1.52 5.50 291.854, is up 8.73% APRIL 284.575 0.49 6.02 from the base. MAY 288.022 1.21 7.30 The CPI represents purchases of food and JUNE 292.542 1.57 8.99 beverages, housing, apparel, JULY 292.219 -0.11 8.87 transportation, medical care, AUGUST 291.629 -0.20 8.65 recreation, education and communication, and other SEPTEMBER 291.854 0.08 8.73 goods and services. For FECA COLA updates, visit narfe.org and search for FECA.

and your agency must complete part of the form, then you take the form to your physician or other medical professional. He or she will examine you, complete the rest of the form and send the form to the Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI). If OFEGLI approves your request, you will automatically get Basic insurance the first day you are in a pay and duty status (unless you already have Basic). You will have 60 days from the approval date to elect Option A and/or elect Option B or increase your Option B multiples (up to a total of five) by completing a Life Insurance Election (SF 2817) and submitting it to your human resources office.

QWhen do we receive Notice of Annuity Adjustment forms (RI 38-38) from OPM?

ARetirees and survivor annuitants receive a “Notice of Annuity Adjustment” by mail. This notice contains information about the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and any changes that will affect the amount of your monthly annuity. Although you may have direct deposit, OPM may still mail information to you. The notices are typically mailed out the last two weeks of December or the first two weeks of January, though in recent years they have been delayed until late January. To be sure you receive this notice and other mailings, OPM needs to have your correct mailing address. These notices should also be available at OPM Services Online. OPM Services Online lets annuitants (federal retirees or their spouses, ex-spouses and children) manage accounts online. Your account is securely protected by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). You can learn more at www. servicesonline.opm.gov/

QWhy doesn’t OPM issue 1099-R statements the first week of January, like private sector companies do?

AThe 1099-R statements are mailed during the last week of January. OPM is required by law to make the 1099-R available to more than 2 million annuitants, survivor annuitants, heirs and assignees of deceased annuitants by January 31 of each year. You may view, download, print or request by mail your annual 1099-R tax form, which reports how much income you earned from your annuity. Sign into your online account at OPM Services Online and click 1099-R Tax Form in the menu to view your most recent tax form. You may select a year from the dropdown menu to view tax forms from other years (the last five years available to you online). Click the save or print icon to download or print your tax form. To request your 1099-R tax form by mail, sign into your account, click on Documents in the menu, and then click the 1099-R tile.

QMay I ask OPM to mail my 1099-R forms to my secondary residence?

A1099-R forms are typically mailed out to annuitants by the end of January each year to the mailing address that OPM has on file. These forms are usually available on OPM’s Services Online earlier than the mailing. If you want a duplicate form 1099-R for the current year or a previous year mailed to a different address, please call OPM toll-free at 1 (888) 7676738. OPM’s Customer Service Specialists are available during their regular business hours from 7:40 a.m. until 5 p.m. ET. OPM receives thousands of calls for duplicate 1099-R forms. If you do not have access to OPM Services Online, it can take several days to get through to OPM.

You can also send an email to retire@opm.gov. Please include the title “Requesting duplicate 1099-R” in the subject line and provide the details regarding your request along with your CSA or CSF number in the body of the email.

QAs an annuitant, I occasionally need to communicate with OPM via regular mail. If I want to send a letter or form to OPM, what is the best mailing address for me to use?

AOPM has multiple addresses used for various purposes. If you receive a letter from OPM with instructions to respond via regular mail, please use the address provided. If you are downloading a form from OPM’s website, please use the address included in the form’s instructions. However, there may be times when OPM doesn’t provide a return address to use. There are times when the instructions on the forms won’t include a mailing address. In these situations, we recommend using the following address:

U.S. Office of Personnel

Management

Retirement Operations Center

PO Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017

And as always, keep copies of everything that you send to OPM and ask the USPS to assist you with sending the communication using a method that helps you track the delivery, like certified mail with return receipt. This may prove useful if you ever need the information later, especially when something is time-sensitive.

QAs an annuitant, I occasionally need to communicate with OPM via regular mail. If I want to send a letter or form to OPM, what is the best mailing address for me to use? A If you receive Social Security benefits (retirement, survivors, or disability) or are enrolled in Medicare, you can change your address online by using a “my Social Security” account. www.ssa.gov/myaccount/

Go to the My Profile Tab once you are logged in.

This service is not currently available to people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or do not have a U.S. mailing address. However, if you are receiving SSI, you can still check the address they have on record via the My Profile Tab.

If you get SSI, do not have a U.S. mailing address or are unable to change your address online, you can: • Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800325-0778), Monday through

Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; or • Contact your local Social

Security office.

If you do not currently receive Social Security benefits, SSI or Medicare benefits, you do not need to change your address.

To obtain an answer to a federal benefits question, NARFE members should call 800-456-8410 and select option 2 for the Federal Benefits Institute; send the question by postal mail to NARFE Headquarters, ATTN: Federal Benefits; or submit it by email to fedbenefits@narfe.org.

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