Ask Reg: Am I entitled to a FERS payout of my retirement deductions?

The following is a question submitted by a reader to Federal Times columnist Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service and the resident expert on federal employee retirement issues.

A Fed Times reader asks:

“I started working for the United States Postal Service in 1986. I left in 1997. I am now 61 years old. I have seen articles online about getting a lump sum payout for my FERS.

Is that possible? If yes, how can I initiate this payout?

Is there a way to see the amount in my FERS account?”

Reg’s response:

As long as you didn’t ask for a refund of your retirement contributions when you left government, you are entitled to a refund.

You can apply for that refund by going to opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF3106.pdf , downloading a copy of the form, filling it out and sending it to OPM.

The mailing address is on the form.