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QUESTIONS ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN THE SPECIAL RATES SETTLEMENT
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CLAIMS PROCESS AND THE FORMS THAT ARE USED
QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO RELATIVES OF DECEASED CLASS MEMBERS
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INITIAL DISTRIBUTION
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ADJUDICATION PROCESS
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FINAL DISTRIBUTION
MOST COMMON QUESTIONS
- When will I be paid?
- How much money will I receive?
- I haven't received my check yet. What should I do?
- Will taxes be withheld from my payment?
- Is it too late to claim my money?
- I think that I'm in the class, but I never received any information. What should I do?
- Can you tell me about the processing of my challenge, claim for class membership, or successor claim?
- Can I appeal the Settlement Adjudicator's decision?
- What should relatives of deceased Class Members do?
- Why is my co-worker entitled to a larger payment than I am when our work histories are so similar?
- How do I change my address?
- Will my retirement annuity be affected?
1. When will I be paid?
Checks were mailed on July 18, 2005. This is the final distribution under the settlement. If you are entitled to receive a check and do not receive one by July 31, 2005, please call the Settlement Administrator after that date at 1-800-750-3406.
2. How much money will I receive?
The claim form you were originally sent should include an estimated payment amount. Claimants will receive slightly more than the estimated amount. Additional money was available for distribution because of the successful efforts of class counsel, the trustee, and the service providers to keep administrative costs to a minimum.
If you received a payment during the first distribution, then you can expect your final check to constitute roughly the balance of what you are owed, minus any tax withholdings. All other eligible Class Members and Successors of Class Members have been sent checks for their complete payment at that time, too.
3. I haven't received my check yet. What should I do?
Checks are being sent out in July 2005. If you do not receive a check by July 31, call the Settlement Administrator after that date.
4. Will taxes be withheld from my payment?
Yes. All appropriate tax withholdings will be made.
5. Is it too late to claim my money?
Yes. All opportunities to claim money under this settlement have now passed. The final deadline for filing a claim was October 27, 2004. Under the court-approved terms of the settlement, there are no exceptions to the October 27, 2004 deadline.
6. I think that I'm in the class, but I never received any information. What should I do?
All opportunities to claim money under this settlement have now passed. The final deadline for filing a claim was October 27, 2004. Under the court-approved terms of the settlement, individuals who did not file a claim by October 27, 2004, may no longer do so. The court-approved settlement does not allow for any exceptions to this deadline.
7. Can you tell me about the processing of my challenge, claim for class membership, or successor claim?
All individuals who filed a challenge form, claim for class membership, or successor claim have been sent decision letters. If the Settlement Adjudicator determined that you are owed money, you were sent a check on July 18, 2005.
8. Can I appeal the Settlement Adjudicator's decision?
Under the terms of the court-approved settlement, the Settlement Adjudicator's decision is final. No appeal of the Settlement Adjudicator's decision will be permitted.
9. What should relatives of deceased Class Members do?
Successors who wish to collect the money owed to a Class Member who filed a timely claim or challenge form prior to his or her death should contact the Settlement Administrator. Relatives who themselves previously submitted claims for money owed to deceased Class Members should have already received a decision on their claim.
10. Why is my co-worker entitled to a larger payment than I am when our work histories are so similar?
The amount of back pay that you are owed is determined by examining twelve payment periods covered by the lawsuit, covering the period of October 1, 1981 through December 31, 1990. (For a detailed description of "payment periods," see the remedial methodology.) For each payment period for which you were paid special rates, OPM has provided your grade, occupational title, the geographic location where you worked, and your employing agency. If any of your data for any payment period is different than your co-worker's, you may not be entitled to the same amount of back pay that he or she is. This is because you may have been covered by a different special rates salary table that paid you a salary closer to (or even as much as) the salary to which you were legally entitled. Or your salary at your grade may have been closer to (or even as much as) the salary to which you were legally entitled. Finally, your co-worker may have worked for different periods of time--periods when back pay was owed--while no back pay was owed for times that you worked.
11. How do I change my address?
All address changes must be in writing. Send a letter with your Social Security Number, old address and current address to Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 4068, Portland, OR 97208-4068. If you need additional assistance, call (800) 750-3406 to speak to a claimant services representative.
12. Will my retirement annuity be affected?
No. The special rates settlement has no impact on retirement annuities. If the class member is owed back pay under the settlement for any of the last three years of his or her employment, an additional lump sum amount to compensate for lost retirement benefits was added to the amount paid to the class member. This lump sum, calculated under a complex formula set forth in the court-approved settlement, is being paid in lieu of adjusting class member retirement annuities. Class members not owed back pay for any of the last three years of their employment do not receive a retirement lump sum and no adjustments to their retirement annuities will be made. Your check stub will indicate whether you received a retirement lump sum.