Q. My mother died in the first week of June 2010 as a retired nurse for the VA. I am named as a beneficiary on her plan. When I called about the lump-sum payment I was told that it would only contain funds that my mother did not receive during the month that she died. What happens to the rest of the money that she had in the account that she would be drawing on if she had not died? Why do I only get that one month’s check? A. Since you are neither a spouse nor, I suspect, a child under…
Monthly Archives: November, 2011
Q. I am a 40-year-old veteran (40 percent disabled) and former Postal Service employee who was disability retired from the USPS in April 2003. I was denied Social Security and never reapplied. What are the regulations as far as me seeking employment? What I receive in monthly payments are not enough. Also, I need to find out about my basic life insurance or do I still have that life insurance after being retired? A. While there are no restrictions on your being employed while on disability retirement, if your earnings from wages or self employment exceed 80 percent of the…
Q. I am a 31-year Army civilian employee under CSRS who will become eligible for regular voluntary retirement on May 12, 2013. (I will have 33 years of service). If the VERA is offered in September or December 2012, would it benefit me to take the VERA or just wait until May 2013 and retire? I know it will not benefit me if it is offered this December. I don’t want to have to take the 2 percent cut for each year under age 55. A. Since you don’t want to take the 2 percent per year reduction in your…
Q. I will be 60 on Nov. 30 and I have 26 years of working at the VA hospital. I also have three years and seven months of military time that I haven’t paid for. When can I retire? A. Regardless of whether you are covered by CSRS and FERS, because you have at least 20 years of service, you’ll be eligible to retire at age 60.
Q. I am a medically retired veteran with a VA rating of 100 percent and military rating of 60 percent. I had seven years and seven months of active-duty time before I was medically retired from the Air Force. If I started working as a federal employee, can I buy back my military time; if so how much will it cost and what will the benefit be? If I buy back my military time, will I lose my VA disability compensation? And lastly, if I can buy back my time, does that mean I would only have to work 13…
Q. I am a retired letter carrier who has Medicare Part B, and my family plan FEHB has become my supplement. It also provides primary coverage for my wife, who becomes eligible for Medicare within a few months. I am assuming that when that event takes place, she can select my FEHB plan as her supplement as well, and we just keep paying the same premium for what amounts to two supplements. Am I assuming correctly, or is this change going to turn out to be more complicated than that? A. She won’t have to select anything. As long as she…
Q. I am thinking of retiring soon at age 60 with 20 years’ service. I know I am entitled to the special retirement supplement until age 62 but I am also a widow and want to start collecting my spouse’s Social Security. Can I collect both at the same time? The spousal SSA is three times the amount of the special retirement supplement so I cannot afford to put off collecting until age 62 his SSA benefit. A. Yes.
Q. I am currently drawing Social Security disability, not job-related, and have become eligible for a FERS pension. My question is, will there be an offset in either check? A. No.
Q. My husband did eight years active duty in the Navy, and another 12 in the Navy Reserve. He also has 30-plus years with the U.S. Postal Service (under the civil service retirement plan). He has also bought back eight years of his military time. How will his retirement work with two civil service retirements? He is eligible to retire from the Post Office now and to collect from his military at 59 1/2 years of age (in another 4 1/2 years). Will there be some type of offset or can he collect both retirements with full benefits? He has…
Q: If an individual retires using an approved VERA three years below MRA at age 53 with 28 years of service, will SRS collection begin at 56 even though he/she retired at age 53? A: You would begin receiving the special retirement supplement when you reach your minimum retirement age.