Q. I began my federal service as an enlisted person attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on June 1, 1980. I was commissioned as an officer on May 25, 1984, and served continuously on active duty until my retirement Aug. 1, 2005. Before I retired, I started as a General Schedule employee on June 13, 2005, and am still a GS, never having any breaks in federal employment since June 1, 1980, when CSRS was in effect. So I am thinking I should be eligible to switch to CSRS from FERS.
A. Absolutely not! To be covered by CSRS, you would have had to have five years of actual CSRS service before Jan. 1, 1987. Service in the military, whether or not you make a deposit to get credit for it, cannot be used to meet that criterion.
