{"data":{"id":"us/5-cfr-839.102","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"5 CFR 839.102","heading":"Definitions.","body":"Agency means an executive agency as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code; a legislative branch agency; a judicial branch agency; and the U.S. Postal Service and Postal Rate Commission.\nAgency automatic (1%) contributions means contributions made to a FERS participant's Thrift Savings Plan account by his or her employing agency under 5 U.S.C. 8432(c)(1) or (c)(3).\nAgency matching contributions means contributions made to a FERS participant's Thrift Savings Plan account by his or her employing agency under 5 U.S.C. 8432(c)(2).\nAnnuitant means the same as Retiree.\nBasic Employee Death Benefit or BEDB means the FERS survivor benefit payable as a lump sum or over 36 months, described in § 843.309 of this chapter.\nBoard means the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board established under 5 U.S.C. 8472.\nCSRS means the Civil Service Retirement System, as described in subchapter III of chapter 83 of title 5, United States Code.\nCSRS component means the part of a FERS retirement benefit that is computed under CSRS provisions (see § 846.304 of this chapter).\nCSRS Offset means the Civil Service Retirement System Offset plan, which is for employees whose service is subject to CSRS deductions and Social Security taxes, as described in 5 U.S.C. 8349.\nEmployee means an employee or Member individual as defined in section 8331(1) and (2) or 8401(11) and (20) of title 5, United States Code. Employee includes an individual who has applied for retirement benefits, but not separated from service.\nEmployee retirement deductions means the amount that is deducted from basic pay under section 8334(a) of title 5, United States Code, for CSRS employees; or section 8334(k) of title 5, United States Code, for CSRS Offset employees; or the portion of the normal cost of FERS coverage that is deducted from an employee's basic pay under section 8422(a) of title 5, United States Code.\nEmployer means, with respect to an employee, that individual's employing agency.\nEmployer retirement contributions means the employer share of retirement contributions that are required payments to the Fund under sections 8334(a) and 8423(a) of title 5, United States Code.\nFormer spouse means a living person who was married to you for at least 9 months.\nFERCCA means the Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage Corrections Act.\nFERS means the Federal Employees' Retirement System, as described in chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code.\nFund means the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund described in section 8348 of title 5, United States Code.\nGovernment contributions means agency automatic (1%) contributions and agency matching contributions.\nLost earnings means earnings that you would have received had your make-up contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund been made during the period of the error when they should have otherwise been made.\nMake-up contributions means employee contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan that should have been deducted from a participant's basic pay earlier, but were not due to an employing agency error.\nMSPB means the Merit Systems Protection Board described in chapter 12 of title 5, United States Code.\nOPM means the Office of Personnel Management.\nPresent value factor has the same meaning in this subpart as defined in § 831.603.\nPreviously corrected means a retirement coverage error that has been properly corrected before March 19, 2001.\nQualifying court order has the same meaning as in § 846.702 of this chapter, referring to court orders that affect CSRS or FERS payments following a divorce or legal separation.\nQualifying retirement coverage error means an erroneous decision by an employee or agent of the Government as to whether Government service is CSRS covered, CSRS Offset covered, FERS covered, or Social Security-Only covered that remained in effect for at least 3 years of service after December 31, 1986.\nReemployed annuitant means a CSRS or FERS retiree who is reemployed under conditions that do not terminate the CSRS or FERS annuity. (See part 837 of this chapter for additional information on reemployed annuitants.)\nRetiree means a former employee or Member who is receiving, or meets the statutory age and service requirements for, an annuity under either CSRS or FERS. This includes individuals who meet the statutory requirements for benefits and chose to postpone the beginning date of the annuity under § 842.204(c) or § 842.212(b)(1)(ii) of this chapter (pertaining to FERS MRA+10 and FERS deferred benefits). Retiree does not include a current spouse, former spouse, child, or person with an insurable interest receiving a survivor annuity. An individual who has left Federal service after completing 5 years of service but has not reached the age at which annuity payments may begin is considered a “separated employee” rather than a retiree.\nRetirement coverage means participation in CSRS, CSRS Offset, FERS, or Social Security-Only. Retirement coverage is shown on the Notification of Personnel Action (Standard Form 50) or other similar record of personnel actions.\nRetirement plan means the same as retirement coverage.\nSeparated employee means a former employee or Member who has separated from service and who has not met all the requirements for retirement under CSRS or FERS.\nSocial Security coverage means service as a Federal employee that is employment under section 210 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 410) and is subject to Social Security taxes.\nSocial Security-Only means coverage under Social Security without concurrent coverage under CSRS, CSRS Offset, or FERS.\nSocial Security taxes means the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance taxes imposed on employees under section 3101(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (31 U.S.C. 3101(a)) and on employers under section 3111(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (31 U.S.C. 3111(a)).\nSurvivor means a person entitled to benefits under chapter 83 or 84 of title 5, United States Code, based on the service of a deceased employee, separated employee, or retiree.\nThrift Savings Plan or TSP means the Federal Retirement Thrift Savings Plan established by the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986, Pub. L. 99-335, 100 Stat. 514, which has been codified, as amended, primarily at 5 U.S.C. 8351 and 8401-8479.","path":["Title 5—Administrative Personnel","CHAPTER I—OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT","SUBCHAPTER B—CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS","PART 839—CORRECTION OF RETIREMENT COVERAGE ERRORS UNDER THE FEDERAL ERRONEOUS RETIREMENT COVERAGE CORRECTIONS ACT","Subpart A—General Provisions"],"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":"5934487e3d41b25d59d645cfcd42dc742bea1d7ab558edc203a26e60a936fa8c","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/5-cfr-839.101","next":"us/5-cfr-839.201"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}