Q. I am a 59-year old GS-9 Step 4 working for the Board of Veterans Appeals in Washington, D.C. I had six years in the Marine Corps from 1971-1977, and have nearly five years as a GS-9 with the BVA. I have bought into the FERS retirement system and am wondering what my retirement would be if I elect to retire with 14 years total government service at 63 years of age. I know that I can also receive Social Security for the rest of my life in addition to my government retirement. I haven’t increased the amount, through my salary, that the federal government is placing into my retirement account. Please calculate the standard retirement that I would receive in 2014, after 14 years of government service.
I also have a debilitating permanent partial disability (declared by the State
of Washington Labor & Industries), which I had prior to the date of federal hire
(4/17/06), that has been substantially exacerbated by the work that I have been
required to do by the VA. In fact, I just received surgery (6/17/10) for an
approved USDOL workman’s comp claim for left shoulder rotator-cuff damage, which
might have increased the negative effects of the permanent partial disability
that I had prior to federal hire. I now hurt all the time while I work due
to a neuropathy (the permanent partial disability) that has been worsened by
federal employment. Do I have also have options as far as collecting disability
on early retirement?
A. You can calculate your own annuity with pencil and paper using the following formula: 0.01 x your highest three consecutive years of average base salary x all years and full months of service. Or you can do it without pen and paper by going to www.fedbens.us and plugging your numbers into the handy software.
