Our Senior Benefits Specialists have more than 20 years experience in the field of federal employee benefits. Each counselor has extensive Human Resources expertise and has been involved in providing one-on-one counseling on this topic to civil service employees for many years. To ensure that only up-to-date and relevant information is used, our counselors monitor legislative efforts in the area of Human Resources and access OPM's website and a variety of other sources to update their information as required. Some also attend the annual Training Officers' Conference hosted by OPM and share information with our other counselors.

Planning, Inc.'s counselors provide the following services:

• Review official personnel folders and interview counselees to ensure all service has been properly documented
  
• Initiate contact with previous agencies if necessary to complete service documentation
• Verify Service Computation Date for Retirement / Disability / Early Retirement purposes and verify that counselee is enrolled in the correct retirement system
  
• Identify missing information or documents and assist with obtaining corrected data to ensure completeness and correctness of service record files
  
• Prepare Certified Summary of Federal Service forms
  
• Assist with completion of Agency Certification of Insurance Status, Notice of Conversion Privilege, Continuation of Life Insurance and other forms as requested
  
• Prepare retirement annuity estimates using projected retirement date including effects of refunded service if applicable
  
• Prepare estimates for deposits (military and/or civilian) and redeposit service and counsel employees on the effect it has on their annuity if paid / not paid
  
• Prepare paperwork for initiation of OPM billing if counselee opts to repay the deposit
  
• Counsel employee using agency checklist for retirement and complete same during One-on-One counseling
  
• One-on-One sessions on all retirement issues including the TSP, FEGLI and FEHB
  
• Discuss the Federal Government's LTC insurance program benefit
  
• Advise counselees on workers' compensation issues and spouse's equity laws
  
• Show the effect of waiving military retired pay, if applicable
  
• Discuss the effects of sick leave as projected to the proposed retirement date
  
• Discuss FERS supplements as applicable
  
• Provide answers to questions regarding alternate forms of annuity
  
• Answer questions for employees in person or by email 
  
• Provide counseling to employees who may be resigning
  
• If tasked by agency customers, assist with preparation / completion of retirement application package, routing, follow up and submission to the National Finance Center
  
• Provide a summary of activities performed and issues pertinent to each case to the agency supervising HR Specialist at the conclusion of each task, or as specified.