Q. I am planning to retire either at he end of 2011 or early 2012. Which is the best time to retire, should it be the end of December or early January? How would it affect my annuity if I set the retirement date for Jan. 3, 2012? A. If your main concerns are to 1) get credit for all the annual and sick leave you earned by completing a pay period, and 2) maximize the size of your lump-sum payment for unused annual leave, and 3) walk off the employment roll and onto the annuity roll without the break…
Monthly Archives: October, 2011
Q. I am a FERS employee. I have paid back four years military time and 2.5 years temp time before 1989. Will these years be used in the FERS supplement calculation? A. No. Only actual time as a FERS employee will be used in the computation of your special retirement supplement.
Q. I am a Defense Department employee with close to 32 years of service. I am 51 ½ years old. I fall under CSRS. They are talking about offering voluntary early retirement with a $25,000 bonus. If I had a firm offer, I would love to negotiate a trade of the $25,000 for some or all of the 2 percent per year reduction I will need to take if I accept the VERA. Have you ever heard of this being done? A. No, because it can’t be done. The law doesn’t permit it.
Q. I am 52 years old and on FERS Disability Retirement. If I move to Israel and live there for a few years, would such a move affect my status? And would my annuity be reduced? I acknowledge that I must show up to the required medical examinations as stated in my retirement plan. Would Israeli doctors suffice or must I be at a specific medical facility in the United States? A. Moving to Israel would not affect the amount of your annuity nor would you be required to go to a medical facility in the U.S. All you need…
Q. I am a GS employee and sent in the forms with a quote on my military buyback. The total is $4,900 and it appears monthly on my LES. Do I need to pay this back while I am a federal employee or can I leave for the private sector and then send in a check? A. You must complete the deposit while you are a federal employee or, if you retire, before the final adjudication of your retirement application by OPM.
Q. I am a federal law enforcement officer covered under the 6c LE retirement. I spent eight years on active duty with the Air Force, which I have bought back for my retirement. For the final three of my active-duty years, I was a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. As such, my duties were “primarily the investigation, apprehension, or detention of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws of the United States” as is the Title 5 definition of a “law enforcement officer.” Civilian AFOSI agents, with the same job title and description,…
Q. Social Security references to the “special monthly rule” (monthly maximum earnings limit versus annual earnings limit) state that this applies in the “first year of retirement.” I retired at age 62 from the CSRS Offset Retirement System in October 2010, but did not apply for Social Security benefits until May 2011. Is my “first year of retirement” 2010 when I retired from the federal government or is it considered 2011 when I applied for Social Security? A. The so-called “first year rule” applies only to the year in which you retire, not to the one in which you apply…
Q. I separated from federal service 11 years ago with 19 years covered under the FERS program. I have requested my separation papers and have not been able to determine if I am eligible for a deferred annuity. Is there a way I can check to see if I received my retirement funds upon separation or if I am still eligible for a deferred benefit? A. Send your request for information to: OPM Retirement Operations Division P.O. Box 45 Boyers. PA 16017-0045 Be sure to include as much information as you can, e.g, your full name, date of birth, Social…
Q. I am the disabled dependent survivor of my father who was a federal employee for 30 years. I collect Social Security Disability Income and Medicaid. Collecting the disabled child survivor annuity would put me over the unearned income limit to collect Medicaid, and I can’t afford insurance. The state of Maine has a Medicare Savings Plan that I could join but the income limits are very low and very strict. The income limit is $1362 per month. I spoke with some legal specialists in the field of Medicaid and they said that my SSDI COLAs would not affect my eligibility for this Medicare Savings…
Q. My father was a federal employee for 30 years, and he passed away in November 2010. He listed me as his death benefit beneficiary with the intent to grant me an annuity. I applied as his disabled dependent child survivor. I filed my paperwork in January. I heard nothing for months. I finally contacted them by phone in June and asked for them to send me forms for doctors to fill out for my claim. Are child survivor annuities retroactive? I heard that they begin on the day the retiree passes away. If this much time has gone by, …