Q: My husband was federal technician and served in the Air National Guard. The military discharged him because of health reasons. So he lost his federal technician job. He now receives Civil Service Retirement System disability benefits. He applied for Social Security disability. Social Security counts his CSRS disability as a public disability, so his benefit is offset and his payment is reduced to $31.00 a month. Now that he is over age 55, can he change his CSRS retirement to a CSRS annuity or discontinued service retirement? Social Security stated that if he is receiving a CSRS annuity or…
Monthly Archives: October, 2010
Q: How many weeks’ notice is a federal employee retired to give prior to retirement? A: There is no minimum notice requirement in law or regulation. However, courtesy and prudence suggest a minimum of a few weeks. I mentioned courtesy because a supervisor needs to know that you are leaving so he can plan a redistribution of work among those who are left and, where possible, begin the search for a replacement. I mentioned prudence because failure to take the time to shepherd your retirement application through you agency before leaving could result in long delays before you receive your…
Recently a reader who is approaching retirement sent the following question to the Federal Times website: “What will get me the most bang for the buck, start using a lot of sick leave or going straight for the annuity?” I answered: “This is mother speaking: ‘Son, it’s attitudes like yours that give federal employees a bad name.’ Sick leave may only be used for approved purposes. Using it just because you want to is a violation of law.” Tough words, but true. Sick leave is a benefit that may only be used when appropriate. I think one reason employees consider inappropriate…
Q: What percentage of my benefits are lost if I miss paying into Social Security for two years? A: Unknown and possibly unknowable. Social Security benefits are calculated like federal retirement benefits. They are based on the total number of years of Social Security-covered employment, not to exceed 35. The dollar amount of your actual earnings during those years, stated in constant dollars, is then used to determine your average indexed monthly earnings, or AIME, which is then plugged into the Social Security formula. The Social Security Administration has a number of benefits calculators here that you can plug your own…
Q: After reading all the horror stories about the windfall elimination provision and Social Security demanding payback of erroneous payments, I’m writing to verify my Civil Service Retirement System Offset and WEP reductions. I have 22 years of CSRS service, from 1973 to 1995, put in 13-plus years of nonfederal work, and then was re-employed with the federal government as a CSRS Offset employee in 2008. I plan to retire at 62 with 27 years, 8 months of federal service, with about five years of that under CSRS offset. My personnel office says that I am not subject to the…
Q: I plan to retire Jan. 3. At the end of this year, I will still have 40 hours of “use or lose” leave. Will I be paid for that leave in my final lump-sum annual leave payment, or will I forfeit this leave? A: In 2011, the leave year end date is Jan. 1. If you retire after that date, any unused annual leave in excess of 240 hours would be lost. You would receive a lump-sum payment for those 240 hours.
Q: I am a 39-year-old federal employee. I have nine years of Federal Employees Retirement System-covered federal service. I also bought back eight years of Army service time two years ago. I am thinking of resigning my position and starting a small business. Would it benefit me to wait three years and reach 20 years of creditable service? And if so, what benefits will I be eligible for at my minimum retirement age? A: You wouldn’t be eligible for any benefits when you reached your minimum retirement age. With fewer than 20 years of service, you’d be eligible for a…
Q: Is the Federal Employees Retirement System supplement (Social Security) sent to retirees as a separate payment, or is it combined with the annuity? A: The special retirement supplement is included in a retiree’s monthly annuity payment.
Q: My “high-3” years are not my last three years. I am thinking of retiring in June, and I have read that your last three consecutive years are your high-3 years. My highest three years, salary-wise, were 2003 to 2005. Will they use those years or my last three? A: An employee’s high-3 is always the highest three consecutive years of average salary, no matter when they occur in a career.
Q: I have been opting out of health care coverage because I am covered by my wife’s plan, but I plan to retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System in 2016 and want to take advantage of the post-retirement health care benefits. I will enroll during the upcoming open season, but I would like to know whether I need to enroll in self and family coverage in order to have coverage for my family after I retire, or if I can enroll in self coverage now and add family members after I retire. A: You can switch from self-only coverage to…