TN 34 (06-04)

A. Policy

There are numerous agencies and organizations which pay benefits that are interrelated. Many of those payments are offset or reduced because of the receipt of other payments from other organizations. This section provides a brief explanation of how different payments and pensions from various entities affect each other and provides a reference for more detailed information about each.

B. Description - Specific Offsets and Reductions

1. Government Pension Offset

This is an offset of Social Security Benefits being paid to a spouse who also receives a government pension. For more information refer to GN 02608.100.

2. Workers Compensation/Public Disability Benefit WC/PDB Offset

This is an offset of Social Security Disability benefits imposed when a disabled numberholder also receives a WC/PDB. For more information refer to DI 52101.001.

3. Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

This is a reduction of Social Security retirement or disability benefits which is imposed when the numberholder also receives a pension based on non-covered work. For more information refer to RS 00605.360.

4. Use of Military Service for CSRS Pensions – Catch 62

CSRS pensions normally include credit for military service after 1956. When the numberholder attains age 62 that service is used by SSA and OPM may need to adjust the CSRS pension. For more information about the Catch 62 provisions refer to RS 01702.356.

5. Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) Offset

This is an offset of the CSRS annuity which applies to some annuitants who also receive a Social Security benefit (including auxiliaries and survivors) based in whole or in part on covered Federal earnings. OPM offsets the CSRS pension based on information SSA furnishes to OPM. For these individuals SSA (MATPSC) computes fictitious benefit amounts after removing the covered Federal earnings from the record. SSA gives OPM the correct rates and the fictitious rates. OPM then uses the difference to offset the CSRS pension

MATPSC provides the computations for all of these cases regardless of SSNs or other jurisdictional rules. MATPSC maintains detailed processing instructions for these cases on the intranet in the CSRS Offset Alert Processing Guide . Because this is a CSRS pension, OPM processes the award of benefits after applying the offset to the CSRS pension.

6. Federal Employees Retirement System/Federal Employees Compensation Act (FERS/FECA) Offset

This is an offset of the FERS/FECA benefit paid by the Department of Labor (DOL) when the beneficiary (including auxiliaries and survivors) also receives a Social Security retirement or survivor benefit. It does not apply if the Social Security benefit is based on a disability claim. For more information see RS 00605.320.