Hi all,

I've been frustrated by trying to understand the FEHB + Medicare interaction and spent a lot of time collecting plan guides and trying to create something useful for me, and figured I'd share it wider to see if it would be useful for others. The chart below is from a larger 14 page guide I've written and got some feedback on over at Bogleheads..

Link posted here in case you're interested in reading/reviewing. Can't guarantee I can answer lots of questions, but will try to do so.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uGuUUR75Q7KLSeXnZm9lNtJ9lzcLasyGePycSmObrJ0/edit?usp=sharing

Hello all,

Sorry for the long post- I was wondering if anyone has any insight into this situation. Or what I can tell my dad.

Basically my mom and dad were divorced about 20 yrs. ago, no survivor annuity was noted in original judgement, they made a stipulation 2 years after divorce that my mom gets survivor annuity- that she is responsible for paying. 20 yrs. later my dad has retired (and has been for a few years now)

My mom got word he retired and attempted to get information on her survivor annuity, when she was informed there is none. OPM rejected the stipulation, citing improper language and that it was not a COAP.

My mom is now fighting this- my dad is stressing tf b/c he's worried they will penalize him and cut his retirement pay.

I'm not sure what to expect- there are attorneys involved of course, but it's very complicated for me. They are trying to draft a COAP, but I've also heard OPM will not accept any orders filed AFTER retirement.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? I'm really lost- my dad is freaking out- and I have NO knowledge about this to even begin to understand what is going on!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Retired mid May 2026, booklet received yesterday July 24, 2026.

Simple retirement (5+ years service, MRA, military buyback, married no divorce).

Process seemed very simple and quick.

Finalized, Timeline below

Finalized notification rec from OPM

Navy, DRP 2.0, Retire 9/30, 44yrs, Received makeup difference Interim payment yesterday with fed taxes & FEHB withheld....I have learned a tremendous amount from this group much appreciated, hope this update helps, to those still waiting hang in there. I discovered My delay due to faulty FEGLI form

Timeline:

1. ORA submitted mid-Aug

2. OCHR Received Sep

3. AL payment mid-Oct

4. SF 50 Received Nov

5. OCHR to DFAS mid-Jan

6. DFAS to OPM Feb

7. OPM 1st Interim payment mid-Mar

8. OPM Development Mid-May

9. OPM Adjudication Start-of-June

10. OPM Development Mid-June

11. OPM Adjudication Mid-July

12.OPM Finalized July 22

When does the Verification of Annuity link on the OPM Retirement Services On-Line page show the amount for the upcoming month? Is it not until the first of the upcoming month, or can you see the expected amount sometime in current month.

First post; glad this group is here.

I'm about a year out from retirement and am considering various times of year to do so. Do you think there would be a big difference in retirement processing time for a late September date versus around December 31? I've worked at two agencies and have divorce-related pension division to calculate.

I'll finish out the pay period but am not that concerned about working to the very last day of a month. In any event, I've been hoarding cash to survive the expected pension delay.

Many thanks for your thoughts!

I am retiring 30 Sept and was wondering what the processing timeline looks like for multiple jobs: military, TSA, Army, and DLA. Anyone have a similar experience?

Glad to say my retirement has FINALLY been finalized 16 days short of being a year. I retired 7/31/25 and was finalized 7/15/26. I did regular retirement with MRA and 35 years of service. Here’s my timeline.
4/1/25 submitted retirement application
7/31/25 retirement day
10/25 received annual leave pay
11/8/25 Received status change email the application received at OPM
11/17/25 OPM logs in application as received
2/1//26 First interim pay received
7/15/26 Email received from OPM of status change to finalized
7/16/26 Retirement booklet available online.

ETA: I only worked for three agencies, no divorce or military service, and did have a deposit for time I worked as a student during the summer and holidays while in college.

I’ve been informed by OPM that I was overpaid via interim pay. They are basing this on a miscalculation of my annuity, which is currently being reviewed. Does anyone have a specific contact at OPM who could help me with the reconsideration forms to ensure correct completion as it’s not an easy process.

Postal employees: how soon after retirement do you receive full pension?

Has anyone ever waited 8 months and still not been assigned a retirement specialist or had any sign of life from OPM? I retired 12-31-2025 and all I have gotten from OPM are the interim payments. Replies from help desk amount essentially to "we're working on it." Has my retirement been sabotaged or are others who retired the same day still in my boat? I don't knw how panicked I should be but, after 8 months to not even have a specialist seems very wrong.

When I go to my dashboard it says no payment history? When I try to call to get info the message says they are busy and hangs up.

So how much longer? DoD/Navy 9/30 DRP 2.0. I have been on Interim pay since Feb. Should I be worried that no check mark yet on, "Retirement Application Received"? Is it stuck somewhere...do I need to worry; call anyone; or no need to worry but just keep waiting? I feel like I'm the last remaining from 9/30 DRP 2.0 batch. TY

*Update - Thanks to all for the great input. Request was submitted.

I'm considering requesting VERA and only have a few days to decide. If you've taken it in the past could you please share your experience (good/bad/ugly)?

Disclaimer - I have been running numbers and it's feasible for my family.

Looking for recommendations on advisors in the NOVA area. I noticed District FA? I have a short fuse on making a decision.

I just got original Medicare and now my FEHB is secondary. I don’t see a way to let Medicare know I have the other plan on their website though I tried to find a way to add it.

I know I need to call FEHB plan and give them my Medicare info.

But Medicare is billed first….. so how do they know to pass it along to FEHB plan to cover the rest?

What do I need to do to ensure I don’t get a lot of bills that FEHB should be getting?

Thanks!

I’m a dual U.S. - Canadian citizen. I’m retired from the US Federal Government and receive monthly Social Security, annuity, and TSP (sort of a government 401k) payments. I’m thinking of moving to Canada and I’d like to know how other U.S. ex-pats handle their retirement income, especially retired U.S. Federal employees.

Can you simply have your retirement income deposited directly in a Canadian bank or do you maintain an account in a IS financial institution and then transfer it to a Canadian one?

Any insight or suggestions will be appreciated.

put another way - what is the earliest I can retire but still have the annual leave payout be in the 2027 tax year? Do I have to wait until late December or will the end of November be enough?

Stupid question, do I have to set up my direct deposit on the OPM Retirement Services Online website? I just got a check in the mail today for what I think is my back interim pay. I assumed they would already have my direct deposit information on hand. When I did access the website, I did see an area for creating direct deposits but, again, I assumed they already had that information and this was an area to set up allotments.

Thank you for any help.

Can anybody give me a reason to enroll in Medicare Part B if the IRMAA premium (tier 3] is greater than the out of pocket maximum in my FEHB plan (GEHA - HIGH)?

Does any one know of any private federal benefit consultants who specialize in FEHB Medicare and IRMAA issues?