Q: I am a FERS employee who had 20 years at 6c (FF/LEO) in December. In January 2013 I will have 25 years total federal civil service (21 years 6c, 4 years non-6c, with no breaks in service). I am being told that I can retire. Is this true? OPM and retirement state “25 years of service,” not 25 years of 6c? A: A FERS law enforcement officer can retire at age 50 with 20 years of covered service or at any age with 25 years of covered service. If you are under age 50, a combination of covered and…
Monthly Archives: February, 2012
Q: I work on retirement benefits for employees. My question concerns intermittent employment for which the employee paid into FICA and wants the time to be counted toward service history for retirement. This work was performed in the late 1960s and the employee is under CSRS. I read somewhere that non-deduction service under CSRS will count toward retirement, even if the deposit is not paid. My concern is, whether OPM will accept the documentation that I have for proof of the intermittent employment. In order for OPM to accept the intermittent time worked for retirement, will the time accounted for…
Q: I retired from the Air Force in 1998, after 26 years and two months of service. In September 2000 I started a civil service career; and immediately started paying the deposit of the military buyback to secure all of my military service, (completed by April 2003). I am trying to ascertain whether I should have been placed in the CSRS Offset pension program, and started acquiring eight hours annual leave per pay period. I am 57 and preparing for retirement in about three years and trying to ensure my record is accurately reflecting my benefits. A: Because you were…
Q: I am 63 and a retired Marine. I started working for the VA in September of 2009 and decided not to participate in a buyback. There is a FERS deduction taken from my pay. Will I be eligible for retirement under FERS? If so, when? A: You would be eligible for an annuity after you have completed five years of FERS service.
Q: My husband is retired military (10-percent disabled) and works for the postal service. If he were to apply for a GS position, and be selected, would his time (14 years) and sick/annual leave transfer over to the GS position? A: Yes, his years of service and annual- and sick-leave balances would transfer to his new position.
Q: I am 58 and have been with the government for 37 years under CSRS. My high-3 salary was achieved Jan. 18. I have read the best dates to retire are: June 30, 2012 – which is the first date the pay period ends at the end of the month for annuity to start in July; Jan. 3, 2013; in which I will receive payment for annual leave over 240 hours; or June 29, 2013 – in which I would receive 75 percent of my salary. (My 39th anniversary with the government. By waiting, I am concerned about several things: …
Q: I will be on long-term 12 to 18 months of LWOP. Can you tell me the impact on my retirement (FERS), health benefits, life insurance and any taxes due. How do I pay these premiums to continue my benefits in the future, especially when I retire. A: The answers to all your questions except taxes due will be found at www.opm.gov/oca/leave/HTML/LWOP_eff.asp. For the tax question, you’ll have to go to the Internal Revenue Service.
Q: I am a 46-year-old letter carrier with a start date in September of 1990. However, for the first four years, I was a casual (NTE) and a transitional employee (TE). I have been a career employee since August of 1994. Does my NTE or TE time count in any way toward retirement? If I chose to retire now (before I was eligible for full retirement, 56/30 or 60/20), would I be able to retain my health insurance (at the retired employee rate)? Our NALC magazine and the post office website explains briefly the retirement process, but it’s not detailed.…
Q: If I left federal service (FERS) at age 56 with 14 years of service, would I be eligible for a FERS pension at age 62? A: If you didn’t take a refund of your retirement contributions, you’d be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62.
Q: I served 15 years of active service in the Marine Corps. I was discharged and for the past three years I have had a job as a civilian in the federal government. I would like to buy back my 15 years of active-duty military time to have it count toward my FERS retirement. I am also planning to join the Marine Corps Reserve. If I buy back my 15 years of active service and then serve in the reserves for five years, am I then eligible to receive a retirement check from the reserves and also have that same…