Q. I was approved for disability retirement through FERS and was a part-time flexible carrier. Before I was separated, I was converted to full time in May. In July, my disability annuity was approved by OPM. My annuity payment was reduced as a part time. Does being a part-time employee but doing 40 hours a week throughout my employment and converting to full time before OPM’s approval entitle me to get benefits as a full-time employee? Can they do this knowing I worked full-time hours all the time? Also what about hours paid from Office of Workers’ Compensation Program (OWCP) leave of absence due to a illness. Shouldn’t those hours be calculated in my annuity as worked?
A. A disability annuity is based on simple formulas that don’t depend on whether you are full time or part time or on any OWCP benefits you received. Here are the formulas. For the first 12 months, you’d receive 60 percent of your high-3, minus 100 percent of any Social Security disability benefit to which you are entitled. After the first 12 months, you’d receive 40 percent of your high-3. minus 60 percent of any Social Security disability benefit.
