{"data":{"id":"us/5-cfr-838.422","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"5 CFR 838.422","heading":"Timeliness of application.","body":"(a) Except as provided in § 838.431 and paragraph (b) of this section, a court order acceptable for processing that is directed at a refund of employee contributions is not effective unless OPM receives the documentation required by § 838.421 not later than—\n(1) The last day of the second month before payment of the refund; or\n(2) Twenty days after OPM receives the Statement required by § 831.2007(c) or § 843.208(b) of this chapter if the former spouse has indicated on that Statement that such a court order exists.\n(b) If OPM receives a copy of a court order acceptable for processing that is directed at a refund of employee contributions but not all of the documentation required by § 838.421, OPM will notify the former spouse that OPM must receive the missing items within 15 days after the date of the notice or OPM cannot comply with the court order.","path":["Title 5—Administrative Personnel","CHAPTER I—OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT","SUBCHAPTER B—CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS","PART 838—COURT ORDERS AFFECTING RETIREMENT BENEFITS","Subpart D—Procedures for Processing Court Orders Affecting Refunds of Employee Contributions"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-5.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:23:53Z","sha256":"57bcc9954a85f46fbcc22cc110f03d1a05014d98de786d25c85d4cff7c5fb9f6","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/5-cfr-838.421","next":"us/5-cfr-838.423"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}