§ 8345 — Payment Of Benefits; Commencement, Termination, And Waiver Of Annuity

(a) Each annuity is stated as an annual amount, one-twelfth of which, rounded to the next lowest dollar, constitutes the monthly rate payable on the first business day of the month after the month or other period for which it has accrued. (1) Except as otherwise provided— (A) an annuity of an employee or Member commences on the first day of the month after— (i) separation from the service; or (ii) pay ceases and the service and age requirements for title to annuity are met; and (B) any other annuity payable from the Fund commences on the first day of the month after the occurrence of the event on which payment thereof is based. (2) The annuity of— (A) an employee involuntarily separated from service, except by removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency; and (B) an employee or Member retiring under section 8337 of this title due to a disability; (c) The annuity of a retired employee or Member terminates on the day death or other terminating event provided by this subchapter occurs. The annuity of a survivor terminates on the last day of the month before death or other terminating event occurs. (d) An individual entitled to annuity from the Fund may decline to accept all or any part of the annuity by a waiver signed and filed with the Office of Personnel Management. The waiver may be revoked in writing at any time. Payment of the annuity waived may not be made for the period during which the waiver was in effect. (1) Payment due a minor, or an individual mentally incompetent or under other legal disability, may be made to the person (including an organization) who is constituted guardian or other fiduciary by the law of the State of residence of the claimant or is otherwise legally vested with the care of the claimant or his estate. If a guardian or other fiduciary of the individual under legal disability has not been appointed under the law of the State of residence of the claimant, payment may be made to any person (including an organization) who, in the judgment of the Office, is responsible for the care of the claimant and may appropriately receive such payments on behalf of the claimant, and the payment bars recovery by any other person. (2) If the Office determines that direct payment of a benefit to an individual mentally incompetent or under other legal disability would cause substantial harm to the individual, the Office may defer or suspend direct payment of the benefit until such time as the appointment of a representative payee is made. The Office shall resume payment as soon as practicable, including all amounts due. (f) The Office may not authorize a person to receive payments on behalf of a minor or individual of legal disability under subsection (e) if that person has been convicted of a violation of— (1) section 8345a or 8466a; (2) section 208 or 1632 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 408, 1383a); or (3) section 6101 of title 38. (g) The Office shall prescribe regulations to provide that the amount of any monthly annuity payable under this section accruing for any month and which is computed with regard to service that includes any service referred to in section 8332(b)(6) performed by an individual prior to January 1, 1969, shall be reduced by the portion of any benefits under any State retirement system to which such individual is entitled (or on proper application would be entitled) for such month which is attributable to such service performed by such individual before such date. (h) An individual entitled to an annuity from the Fund may make allotments or assignments of amounts from his annuity for such purposes as the Office of Personnel Management in its sole discretion considers appropriate. (1) No payment shall be made from the Fund unless an application for benefits based on the service of an employee or Member is received in the Office of Personnel Management before the one hundred and fifteenth anniversary of his birth. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, after the death of an employee, Member, or annuitant, no benefit based on his service shall be paid from the Fund unless an application therefor is received in the Office of Personnel Management within 30 years after the death or other event which gives rise to title to the benefit. (1) Payments under this subchapter which would otherwise be made to an employee, Member, or annuitant based on service of that individual shall be paid (in whole or in part) by the Office to another person if and to the extent expressly provided for in the terms of— (A) any court decree of divorce, annulment, or legal separation, or the terms of any court order or court-approved property settlement agreement incident to any court decree of divorce, annulment, or legal separation; or (B) any court order or other similar process in the nature of garnishment for the enforcement of a judgment rendered against such employee, Member, or annuitant, for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child. (2) Paragraph (1) shall only apply to payments made by the Office under this subchapter after the date of receipt in the Office of written notice of such decree, order, other legal process, or agreement, and such additional information and documentation as the Office may prescribe. (3) For the purpose of this subsection— (A) the term “court” means any court of any State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands, and any Indian court; (B) the term “judgment rendered for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child” means any legal claim perfected through a final enforceable judgment, which claim is based in whole or in part upon the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of a child, whether or not that abuse is accompanied by other actionable wrongdoing, such as sexual exploitation or gross negligence; and (C) the term “child” means an individual under 18 years of age. (1) The Office shall, in accordance with this subsection, enter into an agreement with any State within 120 days of a request for agreement from the proper State official. The agreement shall provide that the Office shall withhold State income tax in the case of the monthly annuity of any annuitant who voluntarily requests, in writing, such withholding. The amounts withheld during any calendar quarter shall be held in the Fund and disbursed to the States during the month following that calendar quarter. (2) An annuitant may have in effect at any time only one request for withholding under this subsection, and an annuitant may not have more than two such requests in effect during any one calendar year. (3) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, an annuitant may change the State designated by that annuitant for purposes of having withholdings made, and may request that the withholdings be remitted in accordance with such change. An annuitant also may revoke any request of that annuitant for withholding. Any change in the State designated or revocation is effective on the first day of the month after the month in which the request or the revocation is processed by the Office, but in no event later than on the first day of the second month beginning after the day on which such request or revocation is received by the Office. (4) This subsection does not give the consent of the United States to the application of a statute which imposes more burdensome requirements on the United States than on employers generally, or which subjects the United States or any annuitant to a penalty or liability because of this subsection. The Office may not accept pay from a State for services performed in withholding State income taxes from annuities. Any amount erroneously withheld from an annuity and paid to a State by the Office shall be repaid by the State in accordance with regulations issued by the Office. (5) For the purpose of this subsection, “State” means a State, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession of the United States. (l) Transfers of contributions and deposits authorized by section 408(a)(3) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 shall be deemed to be a complete and final payment of benefits under this chapter.