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,…
Monthly Archives: January, 2012
Q. I work for the Social Security Administration and I can’t get a clear answer on this one. I have 38 years of federal service, all under CSRS. I am eligible to retire now. I also have 34 quarters of coverage under Social Security. If I retire now and then become re-employed as an annuitant, am I covered under FERS? If so, are my wages then counted towards getting the six additional quarters of coverage I need to get a Social Security benefit? A. If you are re-employed, you’ll automatically be placed in CSRS; however, if you’ve been separated from…
Q. I work at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. I am assigned to Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Richmond, Va. I know that each agency makes the decision to offer the early out to their employees. I have worked for the Air Force for 29 years of my 33-year career. I am 53 years old, and I am ready to retire today! I don’t recall an early out being offered to DLA in the last five years. Will DLA offer an early out to their employees at Robins? A. We don’t get advance notice of early retirement offers. We learn…
Q. Is there currently a mandatory retirement age for employees of the Postal Service? A. Not unless they are special category employees, such as law enforcement officers or firefighters.
Q. On www.ssa.gov/retire2/military.htm#2002 it states that between the years 1957 and 2001, Special Extra Earnings can be credited to your Social Security benefit for active-duty military service between the above mentioned years. I started drawing Social Security in 2010. How do I determine if these Special Extra Earnings were applied? A. The site you included clearly states the following (emphasis added): From 1957 through 1967, we will add the extra credits to your record when you apply for Social Security benefits. From 1968 through 2001, you do not need to do anything to receive these extra credits. The credits were…
Q. I started my civil service career on Sept. 28, 1983. I was originally under the CSRS system until 1988 and I was offered a chance to change over to FERS. This was offered to employees who had under five years of service. I chose to change to FERS. They repaid me all of my monies that I had contributed to CSR retirement (7 percent annually) except 19 percent. I am assuming that this 19 percent was to pay into the FERS system. My question is, does all of my time count under FERS toward my retirement computation for years…
Q. I noticed the article on your site located here: http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-retirement/2010/04/27/service-academy-time-and-accrued-leave. I have been having a heck of a time getting my agency to credit my service academy time for annual leave. Two reasons for this: 1) I’m the first person to ask about this and 2) Our HR department doesn’t have much experience with military members. Is there any way to get a note or email from OPM stating this? Or perhaps a point of contact who can provide something That is about the only thing I can do to get my agency to credit that time. Their response…
Q. My wife, age 63, is retired from FERS and draws a monthly retirement check. When I turn 67 in three years and begin drawing my Social Security benefit, is she able to draw a spousal Social Security benefit (50 percent of mine) as well as her full FERS retirement check? A. You’ll find the answer at www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/quickcalc/spouse.html.
Q. I retired in January 2011 from the Postal Service with 32 years of service. I received my letter from OPM detailing my offset. Does this mean that my Social Security will be reduced or just my civil service monthly payment. None of this is very clear. A. It sounds like you are a CSRS Offset employee (CSRS and Social Security). If so, your CSRS annuity would be offset at age 62 by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset. The offset applies, whether or not you apply for a Social Security benefit.
Q. If an employee is covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and is receiving military pay as a result of a service-connected disability, will/he she be entitled to receive credit for both retirement and leave purposes without waiving their military retired pay? What are the exceptions to the rule? A. You would only be able to get credit for that period of service without having to waive your retired pay if you were awarded it on account of a service-connected disability either incurred in combat with an enemy of the U.S. or caused by an instrumentality of war and…