Q: I am in FERS and work full time in the Veterans Affairs Department. In 1991, I bought back my four years of active-duty time. In 1995, I joined the Army National Guard. In 2009, I retired from the military and I currently receive military retirement. I plan to retire from VA in 2013 with 23 years of service. I know that I cannot add the four years of military time that I bought back in 1991 to my VA time. But is there a procedure to get back the money I deposited in 1991? Is there someone or a site I could go to in order to find out how to handle this situation?
A: Here’s the good news. Because you made a deposit for that period of active-duty service, you will get credit for that time in determining your years of civilian service and in your annuity calculation. Further, it won’t have any affect on your military retirement benefit.
