Q: I am a retired postal employee under CSRS who has a monthly premium taken from my annuity for Blue Cross Blue Shield for myself and my spouse. I retired in 2002 with 35 years of service and have been receiving my annuity for just over nine years. My wife just turned 61 in March and does not work. I also just hit 40 quarters and am now eligible for Social Security, although reduced by the windfall elimination provision. I will be 65 in October and am aware that I must apply for Medicare 3 a month before. Since Medicare…
Monthly Archives: April, 2011
Q: I would like to know what, if any, percentage I would be entitled to for 20 percent hearing loss. A: If your hearing loss is both job related and permanent, you can contact the Office of Workers Compensation, which can evaluate your situation. Your agency can tell you how to do that.
Q: With Medicare what will BCBS cover? If you cannot find a doctor who takes Medicare, will BCBS cover the doctor as it would have before signing up for Medicare? A: You’ll find the answers to your questions in your Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan brochure. Read Section 4, Your costs for covered services, and, in particular, When you have the Original Medicare Plan (Part A, Part B, or both).
Q: Is there any talk of a buyout in FY12 for CSRS employees? I would think our employers would want us off the books so as to concentrate on FERS. A: No there isn’t any such talk, nor could there be unless the law is changed. Any offers of early retirement or buyouts would have to be made to all employees — CSRS and FERS alike — in the organizations, geographic areas, occupations and grades where reductions are needed.
Q: I am considering buying back my military time. I am a federal employee under FERS and retired from the Naval Reserves in January 2010. If I buy back my time (which is about eight years of active duty), will it affect my military retirement at age 60? Also, what is the true advantage of buying back my time? A: If you make a deposit for your period(s) of active duty service, those years will be included when determining your total years of civilian service and in your annuity computation. For most FERS employees that would mean an increase of…
Q: I worked for a federally funded work project in 1975 and 1976 before coming to the Postal Service. I believe it was called CETA. Can that time be bought back or applied to my CSRS retirement? A: No.
Q: I plan to retire from the Postal Service on May 31. I have 600 hours of annual leave and will receive a nice terminal leave check. Is there a way to have the terminal leave check deposited into my TSP account instead of coming directly to me after taxes have been withheld? A: No, there isn’t. Lump-sum payments for unused annual leave aren’t made until after an employee has retired, and retirees can’t make deposits to the Thrift Savings Plan.
Q: Section 4 of Public law 109-313 allows some rehired annuitants in acquisition-related positions to be rehired at full salary with no offset to their annuity. The law includes a sunset provision that this authority will end on Dec. 31, 2011. Has it been extended? Is it expected to be extended? How can I keep track of its status? A: No, this provision hasn’t been extended, and we haven’t heard that any effort is being made to do so. To keep track of any proposed legislation, you have to rely on a variety of sources: the media, your congressional relations…
Q: I am a federal retiree receiving an annuity of $1,344 per month. My husband receives Social Security of $1,810 per month. How much Social Security would I receive upon his death based on these figures? I am aware of the government offset provision. I figured I would receive about $905 per month. $1,344 – 2/3rds = about $877. Subtracting $877 from $1,810 leaves about $905. Am I on the right track? Whenever I called Social Security (when you can get someone on the phone) I keep getting conflicting answers. A: You are on the right track. Because you are…
Q: With respect to the employee’s portion of contributions to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), how are excess contributions (i.e., contributions for creditable service beyond 41 years and 11 months of creditable service) handled? It would seem logical that once an employee covered under the CSRS worked beyond 41 years and 11 months and has “capped out” at 80 percent on the service component of the Civil Service Retirement System Annuity computation, there should be no further employee deductions withheld and tendered into that system. A: By law contributions continue to be taken from an employee’s pay even after…