As announced in March of this year, the Postal Service has added a new feature (eRetire) to LiteBlue which will provide employees the option of using self-service to begin the retirement process.

eRetire is a web-based system which allows employees to:
View an annuity estimate if they are within (5) years of retirement; Download a retirement packet or order a retirement packet to be mailed; Begin the retirement process by selecting the desired retirement date.

eRetire does not replace the option of contacting HRSSC to begin the retirement process or discussing individual questions with a specialist before or during the process.

Dead Tree Edition has been covering problems associated the USPS Retirement process

From Oct, 7, 2010 Postal Bulletin:

eRetire — A New Employee Application on LiteBlue
eRetire is the new employee self-service application that allows employees to plan for and initiate retirement activi­ties online via LiteBlue — www.liteblue.usps.gov. (See also poster on page 41.)

WhoThe new self-service application is for two sets of eligi­ble employees:

-Employees within 5 years of retirement eligibility.
-Employees who are currently eligible for retirement, and those within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility.
Annuity estimates are only available through eRetire for full-time employees meeting the eligibility requirements noted above. Part-time employees and Postal Inspectors require a manual annuity estimate and must contact the HR Shared Services Center with a request for a manual esti­mate. A manual annuity estimate is mailed to the employee’s address of record within 14 days.

What
For employees within 5 years of retirement:

-Full-time employees within 5 years of their retirement eligibility date will be able to immediately view online and print their annuity estimate(s) based on effective retirement dates of:
a. Employee’s retirement eligibility date.

b. Employee’s retirement eligibility date plus 6 months.

c. Employee’s retirement eligibility date plus 1 year.

For employees who are currently eligible for retire­ment, or are within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility:

-Immediately view/print their annuity estimate based on retirement effect dates of:
a. The beginning of the next month (or, from the employee’s retirement eligibility date, if the employee is not yet eligible but is within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility).

b. The beginning of the next month, plus 6 months.

c. The beginning of the next month, plus 1 year.

-Enter a future effective date. Employees must be within 180 days (6 months) of retirement eligibility and may enter a custom date, which cannot be more than 180 days (6 months) from the date the request is made in eRetire. An annuity estimate for the cus­tom date indicated will be available to view/print within 24 hours of the request.
-Download and print or order a Retirement Appli­cation Package. Employees may print retirement application forms directly from LiteBlue through eRe­tire or order the retirement application package for receipt within 7–10 days of the initial request date.
-Schedule a Retirement Counseling Session. Employees can schedule a group retirement informa­tion-sharing session or individual session by select­ing an appointment date range no sooner than 90 days (3 months) prior to their retirement eligibility date. The system displays available appointment dates and time slots for the individual to choose.
Where
Employees have three options to access eRetire:

1. On LiteBlue, go to the Employee Apps — Quick Links carousel at the center of the home page and choose eRetire.

2. Click the My HR tab at the top navigation bar of LiteBlue and then the Find Employee Apps section. Choose eRetire from the Employee Apps options.

3. Click the Employee Apps button at the bottom of ev­ery My HR page. Choose eRetire from the Employee Apps options.

Note: Employees need their Employee ID and USPS PIN numbers to log on to LiteBlue.

When
eRetire is available now.