Q. A couple of related questions. I was in a LWOP status for seven months and a few days. My SCD was November 1982. Time in grade prior to LWOP was 27 years and seven months (plus a few days). I am now off LWOP working full-time. Do I still hit my 30 years in November 2012 or do I need to make up the seven months of LWOP? Do I meet the 30 years of service for retirement in November 2012? A. A total of six months in a nonpay status in any calendar year is creditable service. Coverage continues…
Monthly Archives: September, 2010
Q. I was a FERS employee and received a $25,000 early out over five years ago. I would like to once again seek federal employment but do not know the rules covering my situation. I am sure that I would not have to repay the $25,000 since it has been over five years but do not know if I would surrender my retirement pay and receive the pay from the position I would seek. What are the rules for re-employment for retirees after five years of receiving the incentive to retire early? A. Because five years have passed since you…
Q. I have accepted a new position at another federal agency in another state. This position is a promotion. I currently have 66 hours of use-or-lose leave that was scheduled to the end of the year with my current agency. Can my current agency pay me for this use-or-lose leave since I will not be able to take it before departing? A. No. Your entire leave balance will transfer with you to your new agency.
Q. I am under CSRS and my wife is under FERS. When I retire I will take out a survivor annuity for her. If I should die before her and she is also retired, can she collect my survivor annuity and her FERS retirement or will she be penalized on her Social Security. A. She would be able to receive your survivor annuity, whether or not she was retired. If she was retired, she would also receive her own annuity and, when she was eligible, a penalty-free Social Security benefit.
Q. I am a federal firefighter working in a secondary position under FERS. I will reach the minimum retirement age (MRA) of 57 in three years. At that time, I will have 12 years of federal service as a firefighter in the secondary position. I have never worked in a primary position. Can I retire when I reach the MRA? A. You will be able to retire under the MRA+10 provision (minimum retirement age plus at least 10 years of service). Your annuity will be calculated under the standard formula and be reduced by 5 percent for every year you are under age 62.…
Q. If you have been a federal employee but retired on disability, can you be rehired as a disabled employee? A. A disability annuitant may be re-employed in a temporary or permanent position and given the same type of appointment given to any other person appointed to the position. It isn’t necessary for OPM to find you recovered before the agency appoints you to a permanent position. However, if the medical requirements of the position are similar to those of the position from which you retired or there is a reasonable question of your ability to perform the work, the agency…
Q. Do combinations of the federal fire fighter, law enforcement, and air traffic controller years qualify for the required 20 years needed to allow for the special annuity benefit? Also can air traffic control years qualify to offset the maximum hiring age for entry into a federal law enforcement position? A. No and no
Q. I am 50 years old with 27 years of federal service. I plan to leave federal service to take a job in the private sector in a few months. Will I still qualify for a federal retirement? If so, at what age? A. If you leave your retirement contributions in the retirement fund, you would be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 60. That annuity would be based on your high-3 and years and full months of service on the day you left government. Note: As a deferred annuitant, you wouldn’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement, which…
Q. I worked for the Social Security Administration for 28 1/2 years under CSRS and took early retirement at age 50 (three months shy of my 51st birthday) on Aug. 31, 2007. Recently, a position opened up. The job was classified as a temporary position Oct. 25, to Dec. 5 as a GS-4 employee (three paychecks). The position was opened since the current employee was going on leave. I was asked to apply since I had the background working in this area. However, how does this affect my CSRS pension if I were to be rehired three years after retiring…
Q. My NSPS base pay was $72,000, plus locality pay (for Hawaii), plus COLA (for Hawaii). My GS “conversion” this month provides a base pay of $68,310 (GS-5), but my locality pay increased, COLA stayed the same, to provide more than the original NSPS $72,000. This is a $5,000 reduction in base pay. Are base pay plus locality pay used for all benefit calculations? What items are calculated on base pay only, if any? Pension and TSP are based on base pay plus locality pay. What about COLA, Social Security, etc? A. Your annuity will be based on your highest…