Workplace issues
Retirement
Dan Toth
Director of Retired Members
Dan Toth was elected director of retired members by mail balloting of NALC members in 2022 and 2018. Full bio
NALC’s Retirement Department serves the members, active and retired, with advice and assistance regarding pre-retirement and post-retirement issues. These issues primarily involve the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its administration of the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). But the issues also at times intersect with other agencies and programs, including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Medicare, Social Security, Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) and Federal Employees’ Health Benefits (FEHB).
Retirement resources
Questions and Answers on the Civil Service Retirement System
This NALC booklet covers Civil Service Retirement System retirement eligibility, credit for service, types of retirement, survivor elections, the Thrift Savings Plan, health and life insurance, and more.
Questions and Answers on the Federal Employees Retirement System
Covers Federal Employees Retirement System retirement eligibility, credit for service, types of retirement, survivor elections, Social Security, the Thrift Savings Plan, health and life insurance, and more.
Retirement Presentation
Director Toth’s workshop presentation Retirement for City Letter Carriers, dated March 27, 2024 is available in PowerPoint and PDF formats. Also provided are printable versions of the presentation and a handout packet that can be utilized by presenters.
2024 Retirement for City Letter Carriers: PowerPoint | PDF
Printable presentation: Color | Grayscale | Black and White
Handout packet: PDF
OPM Quick Guide
The Office of Personnel Management now provides a Quick Guide regarding the retirement application process. This guide includes estimated time frames for each step and will be updated monthly.
Click here for more resources.
November 13, 2024
2026 Retiree COLAs Projection: CSRS is 0.2% and FERS is 0.2% as of November 2024
The 2026 COLAs for CSRS and FERS benefits are based on the increase in the average CPI-W between the 3rd quarter of 2024 (308.729) and the 3rd quarter of 2025.
Based on the October 2024 CPI-W (1982-84) of 309.358, the increase in the CPI is 0.2%. The projected 2026 COLA for CSRS is 0.2% and FERS is 0.2%. The 2026 retiree COLA calculation will be finalized in October 2025 with the release of the CPI-W for September 2025.
General contact information
The NALC Retirement Department can be reached by calling 800-424-5186 (toll free) Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, 10 a.m. to Noon or 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time), or by calling the NALC Headquarters switchboard at 202-393-4695 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time) and asking for the Retirement Department.
The USPS HR Shared Service Center (HRSSC) can be reached by current employees who are planning or applying for retirement by calling 877-477-3273, option 5.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) acts as the personnel office for retired letter carriers, and is the agency responsible for administering retirement, health and life insurance benefits. Before you call or write to OPM, be sure to have your Civil Service Annuity (CSA) number ready. OPM can be reached by retirees who have a CSA number by calling 888-767-6738, 7:40 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (Eastern time). Mail your written inquiries to Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Operations Center, Boyers, PA 16017 (unless OPM has specified a different address for a specific action such as health benefits open season).
More information:
- Annual leave carryover Contract Talk
- MOU Re: Annual Leave Carryover for Leave Year 2025