FORT RILEY, Kan. – The Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA) is encouraging Army civilian employees to start planning for retirement early to ensure a smooth transition into retirement.
The Army Benefits Center-Civilian (ABC-C) provides a range of resources to help employees navigate their benefits, understand timelines, and explore various options.
Cary Stone, Director of the ABC-C, emphasizes the importance of being knowledgeable about retirement benefits. “Retirement is a very important topic, it is a hard-earned benefit. It is in your best interest to familiarize yourself with this information. An educated workforce is a better prepared workforce,” he stated.
Understanding retirement options is essential, as individual circumstances can significantly impact the amount of retirement annuity an employee receives.
One critical aspect of retirement planning is the retirement estimate. Employees are advised to request an estimate from the ABC-C within five years of becoming eligible for retirement and every three years thereafter. This estimate is instrumental in helping verify service records and assess any necessary deposit requirements. It reflects current salary and leave balances but does not account for future salary increases. For complex service histories, such as part-time or intermittent service, employees should contact the ABC-C directly. It’s essential to note that these estimates are not binding and do not constitute a retirement application.
Another important consideration during retirement planning is the selection of an annuity start date, which varies based on the retirement system. For those under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), if retiring voluntarily, employees can choose the first, second, third, or last day of the month for their retirement date, with the annuity beginning to accrue the following day. If an employee retires on any other date, the annuity accrual will be delayed until the next month.
Conversely, for employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), voluntary retirement on the last day of the month leads to annuity accrual starting on the first day of the following month, with any other date causing a similar delay in accrual.
The day of last working is termed the “Date of Final Separation,” and most retirement processing will commence after this date. Typically, retirees can expect their full annuity to be disbursed within three to five months, as indicated by the Office of Personnel Management.
For applications, employees can take advantage of the new Online Retirement Application (ORA) process available through the Government Retirement and Benefits platform (GRB). Employees are authorized to begin their application within six months preceding their estimated retirement date.
While applying through GRB, individuals must download the
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