A form of Qualified Defined Benefit Plan that has many features of a Qualified Defined Contribution Plan. It expresses the benefit is the form of a cash amount rather that as a monthly accrued benefit. The final benefit unlike most Qualified Defined Benefit Plans is payable in a Single Lump Sum.

This is the Federal Civil Service Retirement System. It has two components: CSRS and FERS. See both definitions below.

For pension purposes this is a post-retirement Cost of Living Increase to a retired person's pension. Generally these increases are based on the September to September changes in the Consumer Price Index as prepared by the Department of Labor. In virtually all plans these COLA increases are compounding. If you are reading this as an Alternate Payee, be sure to insert a COLA increase provision into your Property Settlement Agreement.

For property acquired during the marriage there is a presumptive basis that this is joint property.

A coverture fraction is the method used to determine that portion of the benefit which was earned during the marriage through date of separation, from that portion of the benefits which were earned outside of the period of marriage. The coverture fraction represents that portion of the value of the benefits attributable to the community property. The numerator of the fraction represents the total period of time the participant-spouse participated in the plan during the marriage through separation, and the denominator is the total period of time the participant-spouse participated in the plan as of the date the non-participant spouse’s benefit is calculated.