Q. I am 60 years old. I am a regular rural carrier with 18 years of service so far as a full-time employee. I was hired in 1988 as a rural carrier associate. I would like to retire as soon as possible, and would like to know when I could do that. Also, I would need to keep my federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance. I did not make career status until 1994. Are there buyback options for me so I could go back to 1988, and how much would my health insurance cost? I would take the family option.
A. To the best of my knowledge, employment as a rural carrier associate isn’t considered creditable service, and you wouldn’t be able to make a deposit to the retirement system to get credit for it. To retire from your current position and carry your health benefits coverage with you, you’d have to have 20 years of service. When you retired, the cost of your health benefit plan would increase to the amount paid by non-Postal employees and all retirees.
