Q: I’m over 50 years old and in a Federal Employees Retirement System law enforcement position with more than 22 years of 6(c) covered time. I am considering retirement. I also have more than 30 years in the National Guard and will draw a reserve retirement before age 60. Once I am retired and receiving my federal annuity, can I then accept a GS-grade position with the National Guard without affecting my annuity? A: No.
Monthly Archives: December, 2010
Q: I am a federal law enforcement employee with 20 years covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System FERS plus five years worth of military buyback time. I have six more years before I will face mandatory retirement at my 57th birthday. I want to transfer to a non-LEO position with another federal agency so I can keep working. Please confirm that if I do transfer to a non-LEO position with another federal agency that I can keep working past 57 and not face mandatory retirement, and that my 20 years of FERS LEO service will transfer over at the…
Q: I receive federal disability retirement from the U.S. Postal Service after 27 1/2 years of service. My disability was approved for anxiety and severe depression. During my postal career, I was a city letter carrier. I have an opportunity to take a job as a medical courier. Do you think this job will jeopardize my continuing to receive disability? The two jobs are a bit similar in nature, however the stress level of the new job would be far less. I do not want to jeopardize my disability in any way. There is no way I could ever return…
Q: You recently answered a question regarding sick leave credit, outlining the formula used to determine the credit at retirement. Does the same formula apply to a worker who works a 4-10 work week? A: Yes.
Q: Next year, I will move out of my Base Closing and Realignment Commission-related job and take a new, non-BRAC job at a lower pay rate. Will my BRAC-restored leave be paid out at my rate of pay at time of payout, at my rate of pay just before/upon moving out of BRAC, or at the various rates of pay at which the leave was earned? A: It will be paid at the rate of pay you were earning on the date your position transfered.
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement System dual-status federal technician in the Army National Guard. I am looking at a possible involuntary separation because of losing my dual status (nonmedical related) later this year. I am 45 years old with 12 years of federal service. Would I qualify for any type of involuntary separation/disability annuity payment? A: You would be eligible for disability retirement if you are separated due to a disability that disqualifies you from membership in a reserve component of the armed forces or from holding the military grade required for such employment; you aren’t appointed to…
Q: I am a recent retiree, younger than 65, and have just received my final annuity computations. I expected Medicare would continue to be deducted and have now read two puzzling things: That Medicare is not taken from annuity payments, and that I must contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to have payments withheld. By law, I understand Medicare becomes my primary payer, with my federal health plan second, when I turn 65. My question is: As a retiree under the Civil Service Retirement System, do I “owe” 1.75 percent of my monthly annuity to Medicare and must…
Q: I am 62 years old, and my Federal Employees Retirement System disability retirement benefit has been recalculated to a regular annuity. I am still on Social Security disability. Will Social Security offset the amount that I will be getting in my annuity? A: No, it won’t.
Q: Are Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from Federal Employees Retirement System annuity and supplement checks for retired law enforcement officers? A: No, they are not.
Q: I am 67 years old and have 10 years of federal service. I want to work another 10 years before I retire. I worked for 15 years in government beginning in 1966 before resigning and taking the retirement money. I would need to pay $23,000 at this point to refund that money. Is it worth it, or should I remain in the Civil Service Retirement System Offset program? A: Let me clear up a few points. First, because you took a refund of your retirement contributions before March 1, 1991, you’ll get credit for those years in determining your…