Q. I am a FERS employee (position requires I be a member of the Army National Guard) with 23 years of service; I will be receiving a physical health assessment with the National Guard in April and I anticipate being discharged because I have lost the vision in my right eye due to an accident while in military training. I assume I will qualify for FERS disability retirement and I read that I must also apply for Social Security disability. If the Social Security does not approve my disability, can I still receive the FERS disability retirement? A. Yes.
Monthly Archives: March, 2012
Q. I do not receive Social Security and I would like to have my Medicare payments deducted from my annuity. How do I do that? A. Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213. A benefits representative will help you make the arrangement.
Q. I became entitled to a CSRS deferred annuity at age 62 but did not file for it until age 66. Will I receive a lump sum payment for the years 62-65? A. Yes.
Q. My wife and I are both federal employees under FERS. I am enrolled in FEHB self and family plan, and she is not enrolled in FEHB at this time. I plan to retire at the end of 2012; my wife still has several years before she can retire. During the 2012 open season, will I be able to drop coverage and have my wife start a self and family plan? A. Yes.
Q. I am under the FEHB insurance coverage. When I turn 65, do I automatically go under Medicare and is Medicare my secondary and FEHB my primary until I retire? A. You will automatically be enrolled in Medicare parts A & B. While you are still working, your FEHB coverage will be primary and Medicare secondary. After you retire, the reverse will be true. Note: You can postpone your Part B enrollment and avoid the premium cost until you retire.
Q. I am a federal employee with 25 years of service at age 50. if I take early retirement, will I be penalized? I am disabled with no term of disability. If I am disabled for some reason, who will determine how much I can draw in payments. I am under FERS. A. If your agency offers you an opportunity to retire early, your annuity wouldn’t be subject to the age penalty applied to the annuities of those who retire under the MRA+10 provision. If you were to be approved for disability retirement, your annuity would be calculated using the standard formula…
Q. I have been under FERS law enforcement officer provision for 13 years. I am planning to change my job to another federal position which is not covered under LEO provision. I am 43 and plan to retire at my minimum retirement age of 57 with total of 27 years of federal service (13 LEO and 14 non -LEO). When I retire at my MRA, what will be the retirement calculation for 13 years of LEO service — 1.7 percent per year or standard 1 percent? A. Your annuity will be computed using the standard formula (0.01 x high-3 x years…
Q. How would OPM know if an annuitant made extra money during the year as to cancel or reduce his supplement amount as it applies to the earning limitation. “A FERS Annuity Supplement is payable to an employee who has completed at least one calendar year of FERS service when he reaches minimum retirement age MRA is age 55 to 57, depending on date of birth. The annuity supplement is payable until eligibility for Social Security begins at age 62, subject to an earnings limitation.” A. Every year OPM will require you to fill out an Annuity Supplement Earnings report…
Q. If I receive a buyout from the federal government, will I have to pay back monies if I take a job with a local college sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and go to work in my old office as the government slot was deleted. A. For an overview of the employment situations that would require a repayment, go to www.opm.gov/employ/html/vsi.htm and scroll down to Repayment Requirements. For a specific answer to your question, you’ll have to go to your personnel office and, probably, your general counsel.
Q. I had 17 years of active duty, got out, joined the reserves and became a FERS-covered employee. I retired from the reserves. I have been buying back my military time since I joined civil service. Counting my military time, upon civil service retirement I would have 44 years of civil service. Upon retirement, would I be eligible for both a military retire check and a federal service retire check? A. Assuming that you complete your deposit to get credit for your active duty service, you would receive both your reserve retired pay and your civilian annuity, with no reduction in…