Retirement Counseling

Employees contemplating retirement are eligible for retirement counseling and should take advantage of the opportunity, Executive Vice President Greg Bell is reminding union members. “The decision to retire is among the most important you will ever make. I encourage you to consider the decision carefully and urge you to participate in USPS-sponsored counseling so you can make an informed decision.”

Retirement counseling will be conducted via phone in group sessions not to exceed 10 participants. Sessions are available five days per week during the hours of 7 a.m. EST – 8:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.

Counseling is available for employees who are eligible for optional (regular) retirement and those who are eligible for Voluntary Early Retirement.

USPS Retirement Incentive Information

Newsbreak, 10/01/12:

• USPS Offers Retirement Opportunity To APWU Employees
• APWU Incentive at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Individual Counseling, Spouse Present

Employees requesting additional help after a group session will be accommodated on an individual basis. In accordance with a 2009 pre-arbitration settlement, local management must arrange reasonably private space for employees who wish to receive individual counseling on the clock.

Employees are permitted to have their spouse and/or advisor present during counseling.

Employees who cannot obtain counseling from Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC) without assistance will be offered help from local management. Whether an employee is unable to start or complete the retirement counseling without assistance will be determined jointly by local management and the union on a case-by-case basis.

VER Eligible Employees

USPS presentation on FERS Annuity Supplements

Full-time employees except employees in Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) duty assignments of less than 40 hours must indicate their intent to accept the incentive offer on or before Dec. 3, 2012. Employees who wish to revoke the decision must do so by Dec. 3, 2012.

Employees whose VER application and Statement of Irrevocability (SOI) were received by Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, should have group counseling appointments available on or before the irrevocable date of Dec. 3, 2012. Group counseling sessions should be scheduled by the employee no later than Nov. 20, 2012, to ensure appointment availability.

In the event a VER group counseling appointment is not available, employees wishing to revoke their decision may withdraw their VER application in writing by close of business Dec. 13, 2012.

Full-time employees will have a separation date of Jan. 31, 2013, with the exception of employees in Accounting Services position of the Information Technology/Accounting Services (IT/ASC) bargaining unit, who will have a separation date of Feb. 28, 2012.

In the event a VER group counseling appointment is not available, employees wishing to revoke their decision may withdraw their VER application in writing by the close of business Dec. 13, 2012.

Regular Retirement

Please note that employees eligible for optional (regular) retirement may revoke their decision up to the effective date of their retirement.

Part-time employees and full-time employees in NTFT assignments of less than 40 hours must indicate their intent to accept the incentive offer on or before Jan. 4, 2013. Employees wishing to revoke the decision must also do so by Jan. 4, 2012.

Employees whose VER application and SOI are received at HRSSC by Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, will have group counseling appointments available on or before the irrevocable date of Jan. 4, 2013. Group counseling sessions must be scheduled by the employee no later than Dec. 21, 2012, to ensure appointment availability.

In the event a VER group counseling appointment is not available, employees wishing to revoke their decision may withdraw their VER application in writing by close of business Jan. 14, 2012.

If you have questions about the retirement incentive offer, please consult the Postal Service’s responses to Frequently Asked Questions. You also can email questions to the APWU Retiree Q & A Center at RetireeQandA@apwu.org

APWU Retirees Department

For information and assistance concerning retirement, members should contact the APWU Retirees Department. You can email questions to the APWU Retiree Q & A Center at RetireeQandA@apwu.org.