Q: I worked from 1977 to 1980 under CSRS. I withdrew my retirement and my time from active duty, under AGR Title 32 from 1980 to 1985. In 1985, I became an excepted employee for the National Guard until 1995. In 1995, I went to work for the USDA until now. I am now 53. I wanted to make sure my records were accurate and pay back the retirement and active-duty time. According to USDA from 1977 to 1980, I am under CSRS; 1985 to 1990 I am CSRS Offset, 1990 to present I am FERS. Can I pay back the withdrawal from 1977 to 1980 and the military time 1980 to 1985? How does this affect my time? I am considering the VERA option. Will I be able to get an immediate annuity if I retire under age 56? How will the time count? Can I withdraw from my TSP account?
A: Yes, you can redeposit the retirement contributions you took out, plus accrued interest, and make a deposit for your active-duty service. If you do, all that time will be used to determine your total years and months of civilian service. When you retire, the redeposit service and active-duty service will be included when calculating the amount of your CSRS annuity component. The FERS portion will be computed under FERS rules. Since you are already at least age 50 and would have 20 years of creditable service, you would be able to retire if an early-out is offered.
