Q. I am a civilian with the Department of Defense and have almost 28 years under FERS. I will be 59 years old in June. If offered a voluntary early retirement at the end of 2012, will I be eligible for the special retirement supplement earlier than my 60th birthday (six months prior to June 2013)? If I will be eligible for SRS before my 60th birthday, will I remain fully eligible until I am 62? Additionally, if a person goes out on a voluntary early retirement, are they eligible for unemployment insurance compensation, or is that a state issue?
A. Because you have already reached your minimum retirement age, if you accept an offer of early retirement, you would be immediately entitled to receive the special retirement supplement. The SRS would continue until you reached age 62, when you’d be eligible for a regular Social Security benefit.
While the determination of whether someone should be paid unemployment compensation is up to each state, it’s highly unlikely that anyone who has retired and is receiving an annuity would be entitled to it.
