Monthly Archives: January, 2010

Q: I recently retired from the Postal Service under the incentive/buyout offer. If I seek another government position, will I be required to pay back the buyout money I received? A: Yes. If you received a buyout and later accept a paying job with the federal government within 5 years of the date of the separation on which that buyout is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, you must repay the entire amount of the buyout to the agency that paid it to you before your first day of re-employment.

Q: Did I overpay to get credit for my military service? According to a Government Executive newsletter article (Jan. 15, 2010, issue), Federal Employees Retirement System employees were supposed to pay 3 percent of the base pay they earned during military service in order to get retirement credit for that service, while Civil Service Retirement System employees were to pay 7 percent. I paid at the 7 percent rate in 2002 although I was a FERS employee at the time. Specifically, although I began as a federal employee under CSRS in 1976 after my military service, I voluntarily switched to…

Q: I was told by my physician that I will probably have to go on temporary disability. Is this allowed as a Federal Employees Retirement System employee? If this happens, will I have to use leave during this time, and if not, would I still get my regular wage? A: The federal government doesn’t have a short-term disability benefit. To be eligible for disability retirement, you would need to have a disabling condition that 1) prevented you from performing useful and efficient service in your current position or another position at the same pay level in your commuting area, and…

Q: I am a federal employee covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System, and at age 49 will have just over 30 years of service with my military time that I bought back. Can I retire without penalty by postponing or deferring my annuity until my minimum retirement age of 56 years and 2 months, and reapply for the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan for my spouse, and draw on my Thrift Savings Plan, as well? Do I defer my annuity or postpone my annuity under this scenario? What is the better of the two options, or should I not…

Q: Please clarify/elaborate on your response concerning a lifetime limit of 3,120 hours for rehired annuitants working without an offset in annuity payments. I am employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency, under the Federal Employees Retirement System as a contract specialist (GG-1102). DIA’s human resources department has informed me that I can continue to work as a rehired annuitant for up to five years without any offset in my annuity. I have had this same information provided by the Air Force human resources department. Is there a special exemption for GG-1102 positions, given that there is an accurate shortage of…

Q: I’m 48 years old, with prior active-duty military service of six years, as well as 7.5 years of prior FLES Federal Employees Retirement System service. I have been out of the federal workforce for several years and have a recent offer to return to the federal government. The personnel specialist at the VA facility, where the job offer has been extended, could not tell me if my prior 7.5 years of federal LE retirement service would be credited at the special LE calculation rate (1.7%) per year (x high 3) in the event of my future retirement from said…

Q: I retired on Federal Employees Retirement System disability about 5 years ago. I then went to work part-time for a private company and have been there for 3 years. I have ALS, a neurological disease that is progressive, and I will die from it within the next couple of years. I can no longer work at my private company. My private company is encouraging me to use their long-term disability insurance and retire. I feel a bit strange about taking advantage of the private insurance when I already receive FERS disability. Is there anything illegal about taking two disability…

Q: I plan on retiring on Jan. 1, 2011. I am eligible to retire on Oct. 1, 2010. I am a Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee. I will have 30 years, 3 months of civil service and will be 60 years, 3 months of age. I have 240 hours of use-or-lose annual leave, and I will also have gained another 200 hours for the year. If I retire on Jan. 1, 2011, can I receive payment for my unused annual leave? I believe by doing this, I will receive a large lump sum payment and won’t be taxed until…

Q: I am a federal employee under the Civil Service Retirement System. My wife was a Federal Employees Retirement System employee who left the government after 10 years (1985 to 1995). Is she eligible for a pension, and, if so, at what age? Should I leave her contributions in the retirement system or withdraw them? A: Because your wife had at least five years of creditable service and left her contributions in the retirement fund, she will be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62. That annuity will be based on her length of service and her highest three…

Q: Is there a cap on how much sick leave can be applied to calculating a pension? Is there a 2,087-hour limit? A: No, there isn’t any cap on how many hours of unused sick leave can be applied when calculating an annuity. However, for the time being, Federal Employees Retirement System employees will only get credit for one-half of their total hours, while Civil Service Retirement System employees will continue to get full credit.