Q: I will be 52 years old in June and will have 20 years of service in September 2011. Five years of that was as a temporary employee. Could I be eligible to take an early out on the offer of adding five years to my age and five to my service? I do not participate in medical insurance here so that would not be a consideration for me. A: Because your non-deduction service was performed after December 31, 1988, that time isn’t creditable for any retirement purpose. As for having five years added to your service time and age…
Monthly Archives: June, 2011
Q: I worked full time for a federal grant (awarded by the Department of Justice) from 1977-1981. I am now employed full time by the Department of Treasury/IRS. Does the time I worked on the DOJ grant count toward my federal service time? A: No.
Q: A friend of mine is currently receiving disability from the Postal Service. When she turned 65 and applied for Medicare, she was told she did not qualify because she did not have enough credits. Part of the time that she worked for the Postal Service does not show up on her Social Security service report. Is there any way to prove that she worked during that time? If so, can this count toward Medicare credits? A: It’s not a question of whether she worked during that time; it’s whether Medicare deductions were taken from her pay. If that service was before…
Q: Under CSRS, do you still get your lump sum CSRS contributions back if they completely abolish your position, and are not offered in writing an equivalent position? This would be in addition to your full retirement benefits, minus age penalty. I am 47 1/2, with 31 years of CSRS service, and the only shop planner in my position description. They are talking about wiping out our maintenance department and contracting out. My dad retired about 15 years ago when they abolished his job, and he got his contributions back. Has this changed? A: Because you’d be eligible for discontinued service…
Q: If you are single at retirement and later get married, can you immediately add your new spouse to your FEHB? If not, how long do you have to wait? And, are there any additional costs for adding someone to your plan after retirement? A: If you marry after retirement, you can change you FEHB enrollment from self only to self and family from 31 days before the event through 60 days after the event. After you do that, your premiums will be those for self and family coverage rather than self only.
Q: I am a federal government employee under FERS who has worked for 26 years and may consider a buyout, if offered. If I become a FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE), will I be subject to an annuity offset? A: According to FEMA, “If you are a retired federal civil servant, your pay from FEMA may be subject to an offset. A copy of your annuity statement must be submitted to personnel yearly to be eligible for an annuity waiver during the first 120 days from the date of a presidential disaster declaration. The annuity waiver does not apply when deployed to…
Q: In November 2011, I will be 65 and start Medicare Part A. I am retired military and currently have FEHB and Tricare. Tricare is telling me I will have to take Medicare Parts A and B to keep Tricare. I plan to continue to work past age 65 and would like to keep my FEHB. Is there an easy way to determine the best mix of FEHB, Medicare and Tricare, both while I’m working and when I retire? A: None that I know of. However, if any of our readers who are or have been in a similar position…
Q: Is there a FERS early out penalty (five per year under MRA or 60, etc?)? If I took an early-out with 25 years of service at 53 years old would my retirement (not TSP) be reduced a percentage for each year under MRA or 60? A: Under FERS, the age penalty is waived for any employee who accepts an early retirement offer.
Q: I am a FERS employee of DHS. I entered duty in May 1994 as a 6(C) Law Enforcement Coverage employee — job series GS 1801-5 (before my 37th birthday). In October 1995, I transferred to a non-6(C) position and was promoted to GS 1801-12 (7 years). In October 2002 I was back to a 6(C)-covered GS1801-12 position. Since early 2004 to now I am under the 6(C) coverage and have moved up to GS 1801-14. I have seven years of non-6(C) coverage; am I subjected to the mandatory retirement at age of 57? A: No. According to OPM, “If…
Q: I am a new civil servant, hired in April of 2011 after 24 years of active duty time in the Air Force (combined AD and Reserves). If I understand the leave accrual policy correctly, I am not eligible for an increased leave accrual rate unless I served during a war declared by Congress or during an expeditionary period where a medal is authorized. Am I correct in assuming if I was on active duty orders but did not deploy to a Global War On Terror area (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) I am only eligible for four hours per pay period? I…