Q. I left the Postal Service approximately 10 years ago. At that time I had 22 years of government service and was covered under the CSRS but did not qualify, so I did not receive any retirement. I opted to take the money out of my retirement at that time. If I were to return to government service:
(1) Would I be able to receive credit for the 22 years of service that I had previously performed?
(2) If so would I be covered under CSRS or FERS?
A. 1. If you took a refund of your retirement contributions after Feb.28, 1991, you’d get credit for that time in determining your years of service but it wouldn’t be used in the computation of your annuity unless you redeposited that money, plus accrued interest. If you received the refund before that date, you’d get credit for the time; however, unless you redeposited the money, plus interest, your annuity would be actuarially reduced based on on the amount you owe and your age at retirement.
2. If you returned to work for the federal government, you’d be placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security) with the option of transferring to FERS.
