Q. I served as an Air National Guard full-time WG-12 technician from March 1993 until January 2003 when I was found to be no longer medically eligible to serve in the military capacity that is a prerequisite to holding a job as a civil service technician. I performed the same duties when doing military time as I did as a FERS employee but was given an OPM disability retirement because I lost my military status. I learned today that there is a special retirement supplement to disability payments for law enforcement and military reserve technicians that is intended to bridge the income gap until Social Security eligibility is reached. Should I have been receiving this supplemental pay for the past eight years, and would a request for retroactive pay even be considered?
A. No. Disability retirees aren’t eligible for the special retirement supplement. To see who is and isn’t entitled to that benefit, go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C051.pdf.
