Q. I was active duty Air Force from November 1981 to May 1996 and got out with an honorable discharge. The next day I was hired as a full-time military technician with the California Air National Guard, where I am presently employed. I made a deposit to buy back my active-duty military time so it would count toward my civil service retirement From May 1996 to the present, I have earned six more years of active-duty time from deployments and activations, which makes me eligible for an active-duty retirement. I requested and was granted an extension to my military mandatory…
Monthly Archives: March, 2012
Q. I retired from the Secret Service in 1998 with 28 years of service as a special agent and am receiving an annuity from the District of Columbia Police and Fire retirement system. Without a break in service, I then worked in SES positions at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and as the Federal Security Director with TSA at the Jacksonville, Fla., Airport for a total of seven years and seven months under the FERS system. At the time I left federal service, I was not 62 and not eligible to begin receiving my FERS retirement benefit. I am…
Q. If my organization decides to downgrade the position I currently hold, what happens to my GS-14 Step 6 status? Will I lose my current pay and be adjusted to the new rate. If so, am I given any choice for reassignment such as during a reduction in force? A. It depends on the reason for the downgrade. To find the answer that fits your situation, go to www.opm.gov/oca/pay/HTML/grade_retention.asp.
Q. What month are Medicare premiums deducted from Social Security checks? I always thought that January premiums were deducted from the January benefit that is received in February. I’ve been told by Social Security that’s not true and that my Medicare premium for January 2012 was deducted from my December 2011 benefit that I received in January. Is that correct? A. Yes. Medicare premiums must be paid at the beginning of the month, not retroactively.
Q. Our organization is downsizing and planning a reduction in force of 10 out of 30 people. In our notification briefing, the agency said the RIF competitive area would include only those 10 employees and no one else. I am a veteran with more than 30 years of creditable service and will not be given the opportunity to bump anyone. The competitive area is so small that even my own subordinates in the same career field are not included in the RIF. Can the agency arbitrarily set up a small competitive area in a RIF to eliminate bumping? A. There…
Q. I am a Federal CSRS retiree. I have my FEHB insurance deducted from my annuity by OPM. Can I deduct my Blue Cross Blue Shield premiums from my federal income taxes? A. You can include the premiums on Schedule A of Form 1040; however, the amount wouldn’t be deductible unless your total medical expenses exceed your adjusted gross income by 7.5 percent for the year.
Q. I am getting ready to retire in three weeks after 37 years with the Civil Service Retirement System. While working with the personnel office and getting the package ready to send to OPM, I brought up about the CSRS contribution balance. Back in 1986 they converted to the new system and I had a rather large balance in the CSRS contributions. We noticed that our balance went to zero when the new pay stubs were issued. They told us not to worry back then and the money would be added back in when we retired. My current leave and…
Q. I’m on active duty until September with 15 years of service, but because of the recent Enlisted Review Board, the Navy has forced me out. Are there government jobs that will employ service members with this amount of timed served and allow them to still receive a 20 year retirement? A. If you are hired by the federal government, your active duty military service would be creditable if you made a deposit to the civilian retirement system. However, to be eligible to retire, you would have to be employed as a civilian for five years to be vested in…