How to Apply for USPS VERA Through LiteBlue and eRetire

When a VERA offer hits your mailbox, the first thing most people do is call a coworker. The first thing you should do is log into LiteBlue and pull your numbers. The eRetire system and HRSSC process have specific steps that trip people up if they're going in blind.

Accessing Your VERA Offer Through LiteBlue

Log into LiteBlue at liteblue.usps.gov using your Employee Identification Number (EIN) and USPS Self-Service password. Navigate to MyHR, then to Employee Apps, and select the Retirement section.

If you've received a VERA offer, your personalized offer details and annuity estimate will be available here. This is the same portal where you access eRetire — the USPS online retirement application system.

A warning: only access LiteBlue by typing the URL directly into your browser. Phishing sites that mimic LiteBlue have circulated during past VERA rounds. If you receive an email with a link asking you to log in and accept your VERA, don't click it.

Getting Your Annuity Estimate

Before you make any decision, request your official annuity estimate. You can do this two ways:

1. Through eRetire: Log in and request an estimate through the retirement portal. The system generates a calculation based on your service record, High-3 average salary, and retirement system (FERS or CSRS).
2. Through HRSSC directly: Call 877-477-3273, Option 5, and request that a retirement counselor generate your estimate. During VERA windows, HRSSC runs group telephonic counseling sessions capped at 10 participants per session.

The annuity estimate is your starting point for every calculation that follows — SRS gap, TSP planning, cash flow modeling. Don't skip it and don't rely on a coworker's math.

The Forms You Need

Your retirement application package requires specific forms depending on your retirement system:

For FERS employees:

• SF 3107 (Application for Immediate Retirement) — your primary election document

For CSRS employees:

• SF 2801 (Application for Immediate Retirement)

For everyone:

• SF 2818 (Continuation of Life Insurance Coverage) — if you're carrying FEGLI into retirement, this is where you elect your post-65 reduction option
• PS Form 3077 (Request to Forward Salary Check) — submit this to your local supervisor so VSIP incentive checks get mailed to your home address

All OPM forms are available at opm.gov/forms. PS Form 3077 is in the LiteBlue forms directory.

Submitting Your Application

The completed retirement application package goes to HRSSC Retirement Processing:

HRSSC Separations & Retirement Branch PO Box 970520 Greensboro, NC

You can also fax documents to 1-651-994-3521 or email BRHGP1@usps.gov for submission questions.

Submit your package before the irrevocable election deadline — not on the deadline day. HRSSC processes thousands of applications during a VERA window (roughly 10,500 in the 2025 round), and submission issues identified on the last day leave you no time to correct them.

Verifying Your Records Before You Submit

Before you file, cross-check three things in your electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF):

1. Service Computation Date (SCD): Lines 14 and 15 on your most recent PS Form 50. Your retirement SCD determines your creditable service. If military time or pre-career temporary time isn't reflected, ask HRSSC whether a deposit is required and which form to use (SF 3108 for FERS or SF 2803 for CSRS).
2. PSHB enrollment history: Confirm you've been continuously enrolled in FEHB/PSHB for the five years preceding your separation date — or confirm that a pre-approved VERA waiver covers you.
3. High-3 salary history: Your annuity is based on your three highest consecutive years of average salary. Verify these figures match your pay records.

Errors in your service record won't prevent you from filing, but they will delay OPM adjudication and could reduce your interim payments.

After You Submit

Once HRSSC receives your package and the irrevocable election date passes, you're committed. Your facility issues a PS Form 50 recording your separation under NOAC 703 (Voluntary Early Retirement). HRSSC then audits your service record, builds the Certified Summary of Federal Service, and transmits everything to OPM in Boyers, Pennsylvania — typically 30 to 45 days after your separation date.

For a detailed walkthrough of every step from offer letter through OPM adjudication — including the forms, the deadlines, and the cash flow math for the interim pay period — the USPS Early Out: The Postal VERA & VSIP Decision Guide covers the complete process.

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