Q. Can you direct me to detailed instructions on how to re-enter the CSRS? The information that I have gotten so far (off the Internet) is too vague to be useful. A. You’ll find the rules governing which retirement system a rehired employee can be in at www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C010.pdf. Just scroll down to Section 10A1.2-1.
Monthly Archives: March, 2012
Q. I retired in 2001 from the Postal Service under CSRS. My wife recently retired from USPS under FERS (early out). I know that whichever one of us dies, the annuity will go to the survivor. I have two children by previous marriages and none by this marriage, and my wife has no children by her first marriage. When we both die, can the benefits be then passed on to my surviving children? A. No.
Q. I was told on Sept. 10, 2010, that there was no work available for limited duty personnel and sent home. I drew sick leave until until April 2011. I have not drawn a dime since then. My file with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs was closed in 2003 due to inactivity and I have not been successful at getting it reopened. I am 58 with 21 years in the postal service plus a 10 point Vietnam-era vet. I am thinking of taking the early retirement to get a $700 income. I would like to get the $1,700 Q.…
Q. I am a FERS with 21 years service and age 51 with an minimum retirement age of 56. Say I retire under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority or Voluntary Separation Incentive Program prior to the end of 2012 and work elsewhere (not federal). Since I would not be receiving an annuity between retirement at age 51 and annuity eligibility at age 56, would any earned income above $14,640 during those five years have a delayed effect on my annuity from 56 to 62? A. No. The earnings limit only applies when you are receiving either the special retirement supplement…
Q. If I retire under CSRS and elect a full survivor annuity and my spouse dies before I die, would my annuity be increased at the time of her death? If I were to remarry, could I elect a survivor annuity for my new spouse at that time? A. If your spouse were to die before you, your annuity would prospectively be returned to what it would have been had you not elected a survivor annuity. If you were to later remarry and elect a survivor annuity for your new spouse, there would be two reductions in your annuity. One…
Q. If one is federally retired but actively seeking employment, does this disqualify him based on the of his pension from unemployment benefits. I live in Texas. A. Since you haven’t been laid off, the odds of your being eligible are next to zero. However, that decision will have to be made by your state’s employment office.
Q. I will retire before I “max out,” but one part of your March 5 article intrigued me: You said that OPM would offer the retiree the opportunity to buy an additional annuity, similar to the Voluntary Contributions program. Is that offered only to “maxed out’” retirees, or can any full- term retiree (I will have 35 years at retirement) do this? I will be 68 when I retire, so this program could be quite good for me. (I had a large VCP account, which I rolled over into a Roth IRA in 2010, when it appeared, wrongly, that the opportunity to…
Q. I took early retirement from the Postal Service after being refused FERS disability. Since that time I have been awarded full disability from both the Veteran Affairs Department (I am a disabled vet) and Social Security. I have now reached the minimum retirement age and received notice from the Office of Personnel Management that I will be receiving the FERS Annuity Supplement. Am I still qualified for this supplement even though I am receiving Social Security Disability? I don’t want to find out later that I am not and must pay it all back. A. According to OPM, you will…
Q. I am a 43-year-old federal employee with Blue Cross Blue Shield basic for family. My wife is not a federal employee and is turning 65 and going on Medicare. Is it better for me financially to take her off and go to single plan and get her parts A and B with supplemental or can I carry her forward on my current plan. If I keep the family BC/BS, who will be primary? Will the out-of-pocket expenses for her decrease? A. There is no better coverage available than that under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Therefore, your first choice…
Q. I work for the federal government and am under the CSRS retirement plan. I took a federal employee retirement seminar a year ago and was told that as long as I was working I could collect on my husband’s Social Security if he passed away. Since I don’t pay into Social Security and don’t have 40 quarters I am not eligible for it myself. Everything I have read mentions examples of people who are retired and collecting a pension (which I am not). I was told by Social Security that I had to be 66 to collect and that…