Benefits Newsletter: March, 2025

The GRB Platform provides you with information about retirement and your benefits.   It offers a self-service tool that allows you to view a personalized statement of your benefits and it has a retirement calculator that you may use to perform “what-if” scenarios.  It also provides access to a comprehensive refer­ence library and informational seminars on topics related to benefits, retirement, and financial planning.

You will pay the same health insurance premiums in retirement that you paid while you were an employee. However, annuitants are paid on a monthly basis, so you will pay your premiums at the monthly rate.  In retirement, the government’s contribution towards your premium will continue to be the same.

ANNUAL LEAVE – If you have annual leave that you have accrued but have not used prior to the end of your employment, you will be paid a lump sum payment for your unused annual leave balance in your last NIH salary payment. 

There is no payment for a time-off award.  A time-off award must be used before retirement, or it will be lost. 

Access to your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) is just a click away.   You have the ability to easily view and monitor your personnel record. Read more for information on how to log into your eOPF and for the eOPF log-in link. You also can

For information on what happens to your benefits upon separation, visit the Former Employees section on the Retirement & Employee Benefits website.  Should you have any questions, please notify your Benefits Contact or

Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) is available to: 1) employees who lose their FEHB Program coverage because they leave their Federal jobs; 2) children who lose their FEHB Program family member status because they reach age 26; and 3) former spouses who lose their FEHB Program family member status because of divorce or annulment. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides online tools and resources to help you understand your Social Security benefits. Additionally, you can use the  online services webpage to:

Periodically, the Retirement & Employee Benefits Branch of the Office of Human Resources (OHR) receives calls from NIH employees who have been contacted by financial planning company representatives by telephone or mailings.  The representatives are asking to meet to discuss benefits and are implying they represent the NIH or the Federal Government in an attempt to target employees as clients.  The OHR Retirement & Employee Benefits Branch administers the Federal benefits program for NIH.  It is not the practice of OHR to contact employees in any manner to sell financ