Federal Employees' Retirement System; Present Value Conversion Factors for Spouses of Deceased Separated Employees

Published date23 September 2019
Citation84 FR 49635
Record Number2019-20124
SectionRules and Regulations
CourtPersonnel Management Office
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
                [Rules and Regulations]
                [Pages 49635-49637]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-20124]
                ========================================================================
                Rules and Regulations
                 Federal Register
                ________________________________________________________________________
                This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents
                having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed
                to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published
                under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
                The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents.
                ========================================================================
                Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2019 /
                Rules and Regulations
                [[Page 49635]]
                OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
                5 CFR Part 843
                RIN 3206-AN82
                Federal Employees' Retirement System; Present Value Conversion
                Factors for Spouses of Deceased Separated Employees
                AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
                ACTION: Final rule.
                -----------------------------------------------------------------------
                SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is adopting its
                proposed rule to revise the table of reduction factors for early
                commencing dates of survivor annuities for spouses of separated
                employees who die before the date on which they would be eligible for
                unreduced deferred annuities, and to revise the annuity factor for
                spouses of deceased employees who die in service when those spouses
                elect to receive the basic employee death benefit in 36 installments
                under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986.
                These rules are necessary to ensure that the tables conform to the
                economic and demographic assumptions adopted by the Board of Actuaries
                and published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2019, as required by
                the United States Code.
                DATES: This rule becomes effective on October 1, 2019.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karla Yeakle, (202) 606-0299.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 20, 2019, OPM published at 84 FR
                22915, a notice in the Federal Register to revise the normal cost
                percentages under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act
                of 1986, Public Law 99-335, 100 Stat. 514, as amended, based on
                economic assumptions and demographic factors adopted by the Board of
                Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System. By statute under 5
                U.S.C. 8461(i), the revisions to the actuarial assumptions require
                corresponding changes in factors used to produce actuarially equivalent
                benefits when required by the FERS Act. As a result, on May 28, 2019,
                at 84 FR 24401, OPM published a proposed rule in the Federal Register
                to revise the table of reduction factors in appendix A to subpart C of
                part 843, Code of Federal Regulations, for early commencing dates of
                survivor annuities for spouses of separated employees who die before
                the date on which they would be eligible for unreduced deferred
                annuities, and to revise the annuity factor for spouses of deceased
                employees who die in service when those spouses elect to receive the
                basic employee death benefit in 36 installments under 5 CFR 843.309.
                OPM received no written comments on the proposed rule.
                Regulatory Impact Analysis
                 OPM has examined the impact of this rule as required by Executive
                Order 12866 and Executive Order 13563, which directs agencies to assess
                all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if
                regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize
                net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public,
                health, and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). This
                rule is not a significant regulatory action, under Executive Order
                12866 and was not reviewed by OMB. This rule is not a major rule under
                5 U.S.C. 804.
                Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs
                 This rule is not an E.O. 13771 regulatory action because this rule
                is not a significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866.
                Regulatory Flexibility Act
                 The Office of Personnel Management certifies that this rule will
                not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
                entities.
                Federalism
                 We have examined this rule in accordance with Executive Order
                13132, Federalism, and have determined that this rule will not have any
                negative impact on the rights, roles and responsibilities of State,
                local, or tribal governments.
                Civil Justice Reform
                 This regulation meets the applicable standard set forth in
                Executive Order 12988.
                Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
                 This rule will not result in the expenditure by state, local, and
                tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100
                million or more in any year and it will not significantly or uniquely
                affect small governments. Therefore, no actions were deemed necessary
                under the provisions of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.
                Congressional Review Act
                 This action pertains to agency management, personnel, and
                organization and does not substantially affect the rights or
                obligations of nonagency parties and, accordingly, is not a ``rule'' as
                that term is used by the Congressional Review Act (Subtitle E of the
                Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA)).
                Therefore, the reporting requirement of 5 U.S.C. 801 does not apply.
                Paperwork Reduction Act
                 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
                to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure
                to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements
                of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (PRA),
                unless that collection of information displays a currently valid Office
                of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number.
                 This rule involves an OMB approved collection of information
                subject to the PRA Application for Death Benefits (FERS)/Documentation
                and Elections in Support of Application for Death Benefits when
                Deceased was an Employee at the Time of Death (FERS), 3206-0172. The
                public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 60
                minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
                searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data
                needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The
                total burden hour estimate for this form is 16,751 hours. The systems
                of record notice for this collection is: OPM
                [[Page 49636]]
                SORN CENTRAL-1-Civil Service Retirement and Insurance Records.
                List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 843
                 Air traffic controllers, Disability benefits, Firefighters,
                Government employees, Law enforcement officers, Pensions, Retirement.
                Office of Personnel Management.
                Stephen Hickman,
                Federal Register Liaison.
                 For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Office of Personnel
                Management amends 5 CFR part 843 as follows:
                PART 843--FEDERAL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM--DEATH BENEFITS AND
                EMPLOYEE REFUNDS
                0
                1. The authority citation for part 843 continues to read as follows:
                 Authority: 5 U.S.C. 8461; Sec. Sec. 843.205, 843.208, and
                843.209 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 8424; Sec. 843.309 also issued
                under 5 U.S.C. 8442; Sec. 843.406 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 8441.
                Subpart C--Current and Former Spouse Benefits
                0
                2. In Sec. 843.309, revise paragraph (b)(2) to read as follows:
                Sec. 843.309 Basic employee death benefit.
                * * * * *
                 (b) * * *
                 (2) For deaths occurring on or after October 1, 2019, 36 equal
                monthly installments of 2.96358 percent of the amount of the basic
                employee death benefit.
                * * * * *
                0
                3. Revise appendix A to subpart C of part 843 to read as follows:
                Appendix A to Subpart C of Part 843--Present Value Conversion Factors
                for Earlier Commencing Date of Annuities of Current and Former Spouses
                of Deceased Separated Employees
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Age of separated employee at birthday before death Multiplier
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 With at least 10 but less than 20 years of creditable service--
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                26...................................................... .0998
                27...................................................... .1068
                28...................................................... .1138
                29...................................................... .1214
                30...................................................... .1291
                31...................................................... .1375
                32...................................................... .1463
                33...................................................... .1555
                34...................................................... .1651
                35...................................................... .1755
                36...................................................... .1867
                37...................................................... .1986
                38...................................................... .2113
                39...................................................... .2247
                40...................................................... .2390
                41...................................................... .2540
                42...................................................... .2701
                43...................................................... .2875
                44...................................................... .3057
                45...................................................... .3252
                46...................................................... .3460
                47...................................................... .3680
                48...................................................... .3917
                49...................................................... .4171
                50...................................................... .4445
                51...................................................... .4739
                52...................................................... .5055
                53...................................................... .5393
                54...................................................... .5758
                55...................................................... .6151
                56...................................................... .6578
                57...................................................... .7037
                58...................................................... .7536
                59...................................................... .8076
                60...................................................... .8663
                61...................................................... .9302
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 With at least 20, but less than 30 years of creditable service--
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                36...................................................... .2153
                37...................................................... .2291
                38...................................................... .2436
                39...................................................... .2592
                40...................................................... .2756
                41...................................................... .2930
                42...................................................... .3116
                43...................................................... .3316
                44...................................................... .3527
                45...................................................... .3752
                46...................................................... .3992
                47...................................................... .4247
                48...................................................... .4521
                [[Page 49637]]
                
                49...................................................... .4814
                50...................................................... .5131
                51...................................................... .5470
                52...................................................... .5834
                53...................................................... .6225
                54...................................................... .6646
                55...................................................... .7100
                56...................................................... .7592
                57...................................................... .8123
                58...................................................... .8698
                59...................................................... .9322
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                
                 Multiplier by separated
                 employee's year of birth
                 Age of separated employee at birthday -------------------------------
                 before death From 1950
                 After 1966 through 1966
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 With at least 30 years of creditable service--
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                46...................................... .4912 .5254
                47...................................... .5226 .5591
                48...................................... .5564 .5953
                49...................................... .5926 .6340
                50...................................... .6316 .6757
                51...................................... .6733 .7203
                52...................................... .7181 .7683
                53...................................... .7663 .8199
                54...................................... .8182 .8754
                55...................................... .8741 .9353
                56...................................... .9346 1.0000
                ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                [FR Doc. 2019-20124 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE 6325-38-P
                

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT