Federal Employee Resources

CAUTION: If you need assistance with personnel or retirement issues requiring HR or personnel actions contact your agency's personnel office. Retiree's must contact OPM's retirement services. Do not send official forms and documents to Bookhaven Press , those items must be sent to the appropriate federal entity for review and processing. This web site and Bookhaven Press LLC are not affiliated with OPM or any federal or military entity.

Retirement hotlines (OPM Retirement Services)

(OPM) Office of Personnel Management (Retirement Support Site)
Web Address: https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/, E-Mail: retire@opm.gov
Description: Retirees can call toll free 1-888-767-6738, TTY: 855-887-4957 weekdays between 7:40 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Friday, fax requests to 1-724-794-6633, or email questions to retire@opm.gov anytime to ask questions or request assistance with their personal retirement issues. There line is frequently busy, call early or late in the day to get through and you must have your retirement claim number or Social Security number available . OPM advises that "the internet is not a secure environment for transmitting personal information via email." Replies via email typically take 15 days or more.
Mailing Address:

Download our FREE Retiree's Master Contact List and keep a copy with your retirement paperwork.


• Survivors can also report an annuitant's death. Active federal employees must go through their agency's personnel office. Federal retirees can sign up for online support, add or change allotments, purchase savings bonds, and view monthly pay statements at https://www.servicesonline.opm.gov. You must obtain a user ID from OPM to access this site. If you call their number and give them your CSA number they will send you a user ID and password to access this excellent site.
• Direct Deposit Information
  • Direct Deposit Changes – Updated Procedures - Article by Dennis Damp (1/4/2019)

  You can also Connect to OPM Services Online to print out a "Retirement Services Reference Card." My card was damaged and instead of calling OPM I simply signed on to my OPM Services Online account and printed out a new copy recently. It only took 5 minutes.

  • https://www.opm.gov/insure/life/deathclaims/index.asp
  • https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/my-annuity-and-benefits/life-events/death/report-of-death/

  

  Records Center Contact Information

  The Federal Records Center is the depository for official personnel folders of persons no longer in the Federal service. Federal agencies, generally, transfer employment records to the Federal Records Center thirty days after the employee has been separated from Federal service.

  The telephone numbers and e-mail addresses listed may only be used to contact the facilities regarding procedures for submitting written requests for information. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a) and OPM require a signed and dated written request for information from Federal records. No requests for information from personnel or any other type of records will be accepted by telephone or e-mail.

  Federal Records Center
  National Archives and Records Administration
  111 Winnebago Street
  St. Louis, Missouri 63118
  (314) 801-9250, FAX: 314-801-9269
  Email: cpr.center@nara.gov

  Inquiries must include your full name under which formerly employed, social security number, date of birth, and to the extent known, former Federal employing agencies, addresses and dates of such employment.

  DD-214 Copies - To obtain a copy of a DD-214 form to prove military service you or a family member must mail or fax a SF-180 form to the National Archives. The phone numbers for this service are 1-866-272-6272, FAX: 301-837-0483.

  Annuity and Benefits Calculators

  • FedRetireSoftware
    Web Address: FedRetireSoftware(Retirement Planning Software)
    You can download the free trial version of their CSRS and FERS Benefits Calculator and Retirement Analyzer software programs. This software has been used by tens of thousands of federal employees, since 1999, to thoroughly investigate the affordability of federal retirement. You will be able to generate numerous reports to help you make informed decisions about your unique situation.

  Health

  • Medicare and Medicaid
    Web Address: https://www.medicarevsmedicaid.com
    Description: Information on Medicare and Medicaid, learn about differences, health insurance, health care, plans.

  Jobs Center

  • Retiree Career Center (Part time, full time, temporary and consulting jobs)
    • Job Hunting Resources

    

    Disability Information

    • CSRS Disability Information
    • FAQs (Excellent List by OPM)
    • Refer to the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) site for additional information about workers' compensation benefits.
    • Application Forms

    Associations / Organizations / Publications

    • AARP - American Association of Retired Persons Web Address: www.aarp.org Description: Founded in 1958, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50 and over improve the quality of their lives.
    • FEBA- Federal Employee Benefits Advocates is an educational company. It was established based on the principle of advocacy, and its mission is to provide support to Federal employees through benefits briefings. FEBA provides Federal employee with educational benefits briefings so they can make informed decisions about how to best use Federal employee benefits to plan for retirement, savings and risk management. FEBA assists Federal agencies with complying with Benefits Administration Letter 11-104. The letter states, the “implementation of the strategy must educate Federal employees on the need for retirement savings and investment, must provide information on how to plan for retirement, and how to calculate the retirement investment needed to meet their retirement goals.” This must be offered to early-, mid-, and late-career employees. HR departments can schedule seminars for their area.
    • Federal Times - Retirement Planning: https://www.retirefederal.com/retirement-planning-consultations. Description: Reg Jones replies to retirement related questions for Federal Times readers and site visitors. The Federal Times web site is also very informative and covers major issues concerning federal employees, benefits, and work life.
    • FEDweek - Publishes helpful weekly email newsletters, as well as many in-print and online publications targeted to federal employees and annuitants. Their current year "CSRS and FERS Retirement Planning Guides" are very informative, inexpensive, and well organized for ease of use. Don Mace, a Vietnam veteran, is their editor and publisher and he has served federal employees and annuitants for over 30 years. Visit their web site at www.fedweek.com frequently for the latest articles and updated guides.
    • FinancialMentor - www.FinancialMentor.com - (Provides an excellent retirement planning calculator and numerous planning resources) Financial Mentor’s mission statement guides them to offer the highest quality, most complete, relevant, actionable, financial education so that site users and clients can overcome the obstacles to financial freedom and transform themselves into wealth. They support clients to not only believe financial success is possible, but they provide the tools and resources to help you make that dream a reality in this lifetime.
    • Government Executive Magazine'sLife After Retirement column. Their Life After Government articles are insightful and written by well know subject matter experts such as Tammy Flanagan, a Senior Benefits Director for the National Institute of Transition Planning, Inc. Visit this site often to read their insightful articles.
      • Tammy Flanagan's article archives. Excellent retirement planning articles from one of the most knowledgeable and respected federal employee benefits specialists and a columnist for govexec.com.
      • Tammy Flanagan's One-On-One Consultation Services - Tammy Flanagan is a former federal employee, a federal benefits specialist, and consultant that will be able to answer your questions and much more. She offers reasonable fee-for-service personal consulting for civilian federal employees and she can walk you through the process, and answer all of your questions. I highly recommend her services.

      Reports, Contact Lists, and Schedules

      • The Ultimate Federal Employee's Retirement Planning Guide
      • How to be Emotionally and Physically Prepared When You Retire
      • How to be Financially Prepared When You Retire
      • Master Retiree Contact List(Important contact numbers and information)
      • 2025 and 2024 Excel Leave and Schedule Chart(Track actual leave balances for retirement target dates)
      • OPM Retirement Center
      • COVID - Home Care