(a) This subpart regulates the procedures that the Office of Personnel Management will follow upon the receipt of claims arising out of child abuse judgment enforcement orders.

(b) This subpart prescribes—

(1) The circumstances that must occur before employee annuities or refunds of employee contributions are available to satisfy a child abuse judgment enforcement order; and

(2) The procedures that a child abuse creditor must follow when applying for a portion of an employee annuity or refund of employee contributions based on a child abuse judgment enforcement order.

(a)(1) Employee annuities, other than phased retirement annuities, and refunds of employee contributions are subject to child abuse enforcement orders only if all of the conditions necessary for payment of the employee annuity or refund of employee contributions to the former employee have been met, including, but not limited to—

(i) Separation from the Federal service;

(ii) Application for payment of the employee annuity or refund of employee contributions by the former employee; and

(iii) Immediate entitlement to an employee annuity or refund of employee contributions.

(2) Money held by an employing agency or OPM that may be payable at some future date is not available for payment under child abuse judgment enforcement orders.

(3) OPM cannot pay a child abuse creditor a portion of an employee annuity before the employee annuity begins to accrue.

(b)(1) Phased retirement annuities are subject to child abuse enforcement orders only if all of the conditions necessary for payment of the phased retirement annuity to the phased retiree have been met, including, but not limited to—

(i) Entry of the employee into phased retirement status under subpart Q of part 831 of this chapter or part 848 of this chapter, respectively;

(ii) Application for payment of the phased retirement annuity by the phased retiree; and

(iii) The phased retiree's immediate entitlement to a phased retirement annuity.

(2) Money held by an employing agency or OPM that may be payable at some future date is not available for payment under child abuse judgment enforcement orders.

(3) OPM cannot pay a child abuse creditor a portion of a phased retirement annuity before the employee annuity begins to accrue.

(c) Waivers of employee annuity payments under the terms of section 8345(d) or section 8465(a) of title 5, United States Code, exclude the waived portion of the annuity from availability for payment under a child abuse judgment enforcement order if such waivers are postmarked or received before the date that OPM receives the child abuse judgment enforcement order.

[59 FR 66637, Dec. 28, 1994, as amended at 79 FR 46631, Aug. 8, 2014]

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this part, the procedures and requirements applicable to legal process under part 581 of this chapter apply to OPM's administration of child abuse judgment enforcement orders.

(b)(1) OPM will accept for processing any legal process under part 581 of this chapter that appears valid on its face.

(2)(i) After OPM has determined that a child abuse judgment enforcement order is valid on its face, OPM will not entertain any complaint concerning the validity of the order. Such complaints must be presented to authorities having jurisdiction to review the validity of the legal process.

(ii) OPM will not delay compliance with a child abuse judgment enforcement order based on any complaint concerning the validity of the order unless instructed to do so by an appropriate authority under the law of the jurisdiction issuing the legal process, the office of the United States Attorney for the jurisdiction issuing the legal process, or the U.S. Department of Justice.

(c)(1) The address for service of a child abuse judgment enforcement order is provided in appendix A to subpart A of this part.

(2)(i) OPM considers service of legal process by mailing or delivery of the child abuse judgment enforcement order to the designated address appropriate service notwithstanding more formal requirements imposed on creditors under State law.

(ii) OPM will execute forms required under a State procedure to waive any right to more formal procedures for service of legal process than specified in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section.