Q. In your July 25 column in Federal Times,“By the calendar, 2011 makes a good year to retire,” I don’t understand the very last paragraph, which says: “So, if you decide to retire, what can you do to assure that your retirement application will be processed smoothly and quickly? Make sure your application is complete and accurate.” My application? I have to fill out a retirement application? I never heard of that. I thought my Human Resources people had all that info and they have done my calculations even though I cannot retire yet. Please explain what is meant by making sure my application is correct.
A. Of course you have to fill out an application to retire. If you are a CSRS employee, its Standard Form 2801; if FERS, it’s SF 3107. Once you’ve filled out your portion, your agency personnel office will review it for completeness and accuracy, and finish its portion. Just remember that your agency can only review what you’d submitted. It can’t fill in blanks if, for example, you had periods of service that weren’t filed in your OPF.
