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FPCD-80-56 1 (1980-07-28)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabayq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: B-199338 COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20546 RELEASED Ac o b y ! 'o l I a il . , , .... I:I JULY ' The Honorable Patricia Schroeder The Honorable Gladys N eei-Spellman The Honorable J-Leach i House of Representatives e' The Honorable Abraham A. Ribicoff k-*The Honorable Max'Baucus United States SeAte 113185 Subject: LApportioning Retirement Benefits to Former Spouses of Federal Employee (FPCD-80-56) Your joint letter of January 24, 1980,e-asked that we examine into the sufficiency of the economic protection pro- vided to widows or widowers and divorced spouses of Federal employees.' 7 As requested, we evaluated the equity of the current law, it-sadministration by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and some possible alternative methods of providing retirement income to former spouses. The results of our review are included in the enclosure. Public Law 95-366, enacted on September 15, 1978, re- quired OPM to comply with State court orders or decrees that divide civil service retirement benefits in divorce actions:) Before this law, divorced spouses of Federal employees and retirees could receive direct payment of retirement benefits only through garnishment actions to enforce court-ordered child support or alimony payments. Otherwise, the previous law had allowed direct benefit payments only to retirees and the spouses to whom employees and retirees were married at the time of death. As of March 1980, OPM had received 261 court orders re- questing apportionment of retirement benefits. OPM was able to honor many of the court orders and provide payments to the former spouses. However, for various reasons, as dis- cussed in the enclosure, OPM did not honor 30 of the court orders. The Foreign Service retirement system did not include the apportionment provision until July 18, 1979. At the time of our review, the Department of State had received (963141) 7? 2//r' /7

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