Q) I am not married but I have a common law spouse and minor children. Are they entitled to survivor benefits should I die?
A) Common law marriages are not recognized on Guam. Therefore there are no survivor benefits paid to the common law survivor. The minor children may be entitled to benefits provided that they are the natural or adoptive children of the retiree.
Q) How are sick and annual leave applied toward retirement service credit?
A) At the date of your retirement all accrued sick and/or annual leave may be converted to service. Every 96 hours is equated to one-month service.
Q) When I request for a annuity estimate, what type of documents am I required to submit?
A) In order for the Benefit Specialist to compute your annuity, a current check stub would be helpful. The check stub provides us with information verifying your current pay, year-to-date pay, and leave balances.
Q) Is the GovGuam Retirement Fund membership mandatory?
A) Yes. As a condition of employment, all PERMANENT GovGuam employees must be participants in the Fund's Defined Benefit Plan, at the beginning of employment and they were employed before October 1, 1995. Employees hired after that date must be participants of the new Defined Contribution ("DC") Plan, which was established under P.L. 23-42 and P.L. 28-141. Former employees who have not had their contribution refunded may still have an option to choose between both plans under certain conditions specified in the law.
Q) What percentage will the Fund deduct from bi-weekly paycheck?
A) The employee contribution rate for the Defined Benefit Plan is currently at 9.5% for base pay and 10.5% for non-base pay.
Q) As a new disability annuitant, is my retirement for life?
A) It would depend on your medical examination reports. You are required to undergo a yearly re-examination for the first five years and then every three years thereafter. The reports are reviewed upon submission. If the doctor reports that you are no longer disabled, your annuity will discontinue within 60 days.
Q) Upon re-employment with the Government of Guam, am I able to pay for contributions previously withdrawn?
A) No. Effective October 1, 1995, upon your re-employment with the Government of Guam, you will fall under the Defined Contribution (new plan) Retirement System.
Q) When do I receive my retirement checks and how do I receive them?
A) The retirement checks are issued every 15th and end of the month. You may choose one of these methods to receive your checks.
- Have your check mailed to your mailing address.
- Direct Deposit into your bank account.
Q) How soon after I retire will I start to receive my pension?
A) Once you have been processed for retirement, and as soon as we receive a copy of your annual leave payment and the certification of your annual and sick leave from your payroll department, you could receive your first check in 30 days.
Q) If I resign from Government of Guam, do I have an option to leave my money in the Fund?
A) Yes, upon attaining the age of 60 with 5 years of service, you may apply to receive a deferred retirement.
Q) Can I apply to refund only a portion of my total contribution?
A) No. Retirement Law §8130 requires the member (upon application) to refund his or her total contributions.
