Q: Can a surviving spouse receive more than one survivor annuity? For example, if a man receives a survivor annuity from his deceased wife, who was a federal employee, then marries another government employee after he turns 55, could he possibly collect a second survivor annuity? A: Generally, a surviving spouse can receive more than one survivor annuity based on the service of more that one employee. However, that can’t happen if the marriage occurred after the employee retired, or if the survivor annuity was reinstated after the surviving spouse remarried before age 55. In either of the latter cases,…
Monthly Archives: June, 2010
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement System employee with the U.S. Postal Service. I have been with the USPS for 26 years and want to retire now at age 58 (Minimum Retirement Age +10). I know that my annuity would be reduced by 5 percent per year for each year under 62 (20 percent overall) if I collect it now. I know if I delayed retirement until age 60, I’d get an unreduced annuity. But if I delayed my annuity until age 60 (while still retiring at age 58), would I get a full annuity, or would it be…
Q: I have been working at the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years. I am 58 years old, and I will retire very shortly. I know that I cannot collect the special retirement supplement under these conditions, but will I start to receive the supplement when I turn 60? Or does retiring under the Minimum Retirement Age +10 provision require me to forfeit the SRS totally? A: No one who retires under the MRA+10 provision is eligible to receive the special retirement supplement. That’s the law.
Q: I work for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In November, I will have 20 years’ service in law enforcement and will be 49 years old. If I decide to retire right there and then, do I have to wait an extra year to collect benefits? Can I retire at age 49 with 20 years of law enforcement plus 4 years of active-duty military service? A: No, you can’t retire on an immediate annuity at age 49. You’ll have to wait until age 50 to retire under the special provision for law enforcement officers. You could, of course, resign from…
Q: I am a Reserve JAG in the Air Force and work for the Patent Office as an attorney. I received an e-mail from a guy I met on a cruise last month who is working for the federal government in Iraq. He can’t seem to to buy in for his retirement because his DD 214 indicates that he may get a disability retirement under TDRL. However, he didn’t, and now he has no retirement and can’t get credit for his service. That is wrong. Apparently his agency thinks that only the DD-214 is authorized to state whether he is…
Q: Is there another U.S. Postal Service buyout on the horizon? A: We haven’t heard a thing.
Q: I need clarification of a fine point about calculating the amount of a service credit deposit for a four-month period of temporary service back in 1979 when no retirement deductions were withheld. I know that I would have to pay 1.3 percent of basic pay plus interest. My question relates to the definition of “basic pay.” Would basic pay be the pay I earned during the four months I was a temporary employee ($2,300), or would it be the annual pay rate for a person working at my grade in 1979 ($8,366)? A: The deposit would be 1.3 percent…
Q: I read your recent article, “Dispelling the myth of an above-the-law Congress.” Another “myth” circulating is that years ago, members of Congress exempted themselves from paying income tax on their congressional salary. True or false? A: False.
Q: If you are the retiree with survivor benefits and the survivor dies first, what forms do you need to fill out? Do you inform Medicare? Do you change health benefits from family to single? What form do you fill out to remove the survivor benefits? A: All you need to do is call the Office of Personnel Managment at 888-767-6738 to report the death of your spouse. A benefits specialist will guide you through the process and provide the forms your need.
Q: I was retired medically from the Army with less than 20 years of service. My health improved enough for me to work at the U.S. Postal Service. I was then called back to active duty to complete my 20 years of service, serving an additional three years and eight months. I returned to the USPS in 2005. I retired from the Army with a military pension and Veterans Affairs Department disability of 50 percent. Can I still receive my military pension and VA disability and buy back only those years I returned to active duty to get credit for…