Q. I am a mailman covered by FERS. I was born in 1957 and have almost 28 years of service. It looks like the Postal Service will soon force some retirements . Can I get my Social Security portion at a reduced annuity payment to help with my monthly income? With roughly $1,200 from the first phase from the Post Office and then a roughly $200 retirement health care benefit payment, I’ll need all the help I can get.
A. Your options are limited. If you accept an offer of early retirement, you’d have to wait until you reach your minimum retirement age – 56 – to receive the special retirement supplement, which approximates the Social Security benefit you earned while a FERS employee. When the SRS ends at age 62, you could apply for a Social Security benefit based on all your Social Security covered employment, not just the part while you were a FERS employee.
