Q. I was hired July 29, 1985, under the Federal Employees Retirement System with the Defense Logistics Agency. I was never given an option for the older retirement system. Is there anything I can do after 26 years of service? I work for the Department of Housing and Urban Development now. Am I correct that FERS started in 1987, not 1985?
A. You are in the right retirement system. Here’s why. Because you were first hired between Dec. 31, 1983, and Jan. 1, 1987, you were placed in an interim retirement system: the Civil Service Retirement System and Social Security. Because you didn’t have five years of creditable service on Jan. 1, 1987, when FERS became effective, you were automatically covered by FERS.
