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Changes Needed in Calculation of Reduction in Civil Service Annuities for Survivor Benefits

FPCD-81-35 Published: Feb 26, 1981. Publicly Released: Feb 26, 1981.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed the method used by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to reduce the civil service annuities of retired federal employees who have elected survivor benefits for their spouses. Specifically, its objectives were to evaluate the OPM method of calculating the survivor benefit reduction when applying cost-of-living adjustments and to determine what the effects would be if the method were changed.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Personnel Management The Acting Director, OPM, should determine reduced annuities for survivor coverage by first adjusting the full annuities for cost-of-living increases and then applying the reduction formula.
Closed – Not Implemented
No action is being taken because the agency and congressional committees disagree with this recommendation.
Office of Personnel Management The Acting Director, OPM, should propose a change to section 5 U.S.C. 8339 so that upon remarriage a retiree's survivor reduction would be determined according to the reduction formula applicable to other retirees.
Closed – Not Implemented
No action is being taken because the agency and congressional committees disagree with this recommendation.
Office of Personnel Management The Acting Director, OPM, should change the method of reestablishing full annuities in cases of marriage dissolution to the method described in this report.
Closed – Not Implemented
No action is being taken because the agency and congressional committees disagree with this recommendation.

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Topics

Civil service pensionsCost of livingRetireesEmployee retirement plansEmployee survivors benefitsFederal employeesPensionsSurvivor benefitsCivil serviceDeaths