OPM Will No Longer Accept Corrections on Certain Retirement Forms

The Office of Personnel Management has announced that certain benefits election forms with hand made corrections will no longer be accepted.

If you are submitting certain benefits election forms and have made corrections to them (white outs, strike through, etc.), you may find that they get rejected by OPM.

Effective as of November 14, 2016 (the publication date of the notification letter), the agency told benefits officers that corrections will no longer be allowed in the named sections on the forms outlined below. Instead, employees will have to redo the entire form so it is free from corrections.

OPM said the change is necessary because its Retirement Services office has received a number of forms with these types of hand made corrections, and it is impossible to tell whether or not they are valid.

Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) Forms

  • CSRS Immediate Retirement Application, SF 2801: Section F- Annuity Election
  • CSRS Immediate Retirement Application, SF 2801-2: Spouse’s Consent to Survivor Election
  • CSRS Deferred Application OPM Form 1496A: Section C- Annuity Election
  • CSRS Deferred Application OPM Form 1496A: Schedule A- Election of Former Spouse Survivor Annuity or Combination Current/Former Spouse Annuity
  • CSRS Deferred Application OPM Form 1496A: Schedule B- Spouse’s Consent to Survivor Election
  • Designation of Beneficiary SF 2808 (CSRS) Sections B and C

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Forms

  • FERS Immediate Retirement Application, SF 3107: Section D- Annuity Election;
  • FERS Immediate Retirement Application, SF 3107-2: Spouse’s Consent to Survivor Election
  • Application for Deferred/Postponed Retirement FERS, RI 92-19: Section F- Annuity Election
  • Application for Deferred/Postponed Retirement FERS, RI 92-19: Schedule A- Spouse’s Consent to Survivor Election
  • Designation of Beneficiary SF 3102 (FERS): Sections B and C

Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Forms

  • Continuation of Life Insurance Coverage (SF 2818): Items 7-14
  • Designation of Beneficiary for FEGLI (SF 2823): Sections B, C, and D

A copy of the notification letter is included below.

OPM No Longer Accepting Corrections on Certain Benefits Election Forms

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.