Q. I retired from the U.S Forest Service on 7/03/05 at age 52 under CSRS Firefighter retirement. I retired out of a secondary firefighter position that I went into from a primary firefighter position with no break in service. If I am rehired by the U.S Forest Service now, after 4.5 years retired, into a secondary firefighter position, will I still have to take mandatory retirement at age 57 or will the break in service mean that no firefighter retirement will be in effect for any “supplemental” or separate annuity I may acquire? Basically, in this scenario, can I work past age 57?
A. If you were re-employed in a secondary position, you would not be subject to termination at a specific age; however, if you were hired into a primary position, you would not be permitted to work past age 60. On re-employment, your special retirement supplement would be suspended and the salary of your new position would, in most cases, be offset by the amount you were receiving in your annuity. Retirement deductions would be taken from your salary and, if you worked for at least one year, you would be eligible for a supplemental annuity; if for five or more years, a redetermined annuity. The computation used would be the standard one, not the enhanced formula used for special category employees.
