Q. Can a former federal employee, who availed himself of a buyout, hire on at the Federal Reserve Bank on a term-appointment basis? Can he do this less than five years after the buyout and, specifically, without paying back the buyout?
A. Here’s what OPM has to say on the subject: “An employee who receives a VSIP and later accepts employment for compensation with the Government of the United States within 5 years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VIP to the agency that paid it – before the individual’s first day of reemployment.” You’ll have to check with your future employer to determine if the specific position to which you would be appointed is or isn’t “employment for compensation with the Government of the United States.”
