Q: I retired from the Army in August 2008, after 28 years of service. I currently receive my retirement pay and VA Compensation. If I get hired for a government job, how will my current benefits be affected?
A: Being hired as a civilian employee of the federal government won’t have any effect on your military retired pay or Veterans Affairs compensation. However, if you want to get credit for that period of active duty service in determining your eligibility to retire from a civilian job and in your annuity computation, you’d need to make a deposit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability fund that equals a small percentage of your military basic pay. Further, at retirement you’d have to waive the receipt of your military retired pay. You would still be able to receive any VA compensation, unless you were to retire on disability from your civilian job.
