Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Applauds Reintroduction of Retirement Annuity Supplement Clarity Act
The legislation addresses longstanding issues stemming from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) 2016 reinterpretation of how Retirement Annuity Supplement (RAS) benefits are calculated and divided in certain court-ordered settlements between a retiree and his or her former spouse. Over the past decade, OPM applied its reinterpretation retroactively and with little to no regard for the financial harm it inflicted on retirees, creating debts for some annuitants and reducing expected retirement benefits.
“Passage of this legislation is a priority for our organization, and we are grateful for the leadership and commitment of Senators Lankford and Fetterman to this important issue,” said FLEOA National President Mathew Silverman.
“For nearly a decade, federal retirees were subjected to OPM’s unlawful reinterpretation of the law regarding the division of a Retirement Annuity Supplement that jeopardized their financial security and ignored settled court orders,” Silverman added. “Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit made clear that OPM overstepped its authority—but court rulings alone are not enough. That is why FLEOA worked with Sens. Lankford and Fetterman on the reintroduction of the ‘Retirement Annuity Supplement Clarity Act’ to permanently protect retirees, restore what was wrongly taken, and ensure that no future OPM can again rewrite the law at the expense of those who served.”
The legislation would clarify how Retirement Annuity Supplement benefits are divided under court orders and require the agency to repay funds that were improperly collected from affected retirees. It is intended to restore the retirement security of federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, air traffic controllers, and other federal employees impacted by the policy change.
“Most importantly, this legislation will help to restore the sense of financial security in retirement that has been stripped away over the past decade,” Silverman said.
FLEOA represents more than 34,000 federal law enforcement officers and continues to support legislative efforts that protect the benefits earned by those who serve.
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FLEOA serves more than 34,000 registered members in the federal law enforcement community, who serve across more than 65 agencies. The organization does not endorse political parties or candidates but serves as a voice of advocacy for federal law enforcement through the legislative process.
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