Q. Can a spouse receive two CSRS survivor annuities? My mother currently receives a CSRS survivor annuity from the death of her retired first husband. Her second husband recently died, and she applied for his CSRS survivor annuity. Yet the Office of Personnel Management declined to approve the payment of the second annuity because she is already receiving a survivor annuity from her first husband? A. To find out if OPM is correct, you’ll have to go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook.C052.pdf, scroll down to Part 52A7, and compare your mother’s situation to one in which she may only receive one survivor benefit…
Monthly Archives: July, 2012
Q. I have 14 years of noncovered government time and currently serve with 12 years of 6c covered time. I was hired into the 6c position at age 38 and suggested that I would serve until age 58 instead of 57. Will I have to make special arrangements to stay the extra year? A. No, you don’t have to make special arrangements. By law, if you reach the standard mandatory separation age and haven’t completed the required 20 years of service, your separation will be postponed to the last day of the month in which you have completed 20 years.
Q. I’m a disabled veteran and have complications with attendance and postal duties. I have 32-plus years of service at age 52. Is there any way that I can get my FERS annuity before my minimum retirement age, which is 56 without applying for FERS disability? A. The only way for you to retire before your MRA — other than on disability — is if your agency were to offer you an opportunity to retire early.
Q. I am 45 years old. I have been working for the federal government since June 7, 1985, approximately 27 years. Our government facility is closing its doors. I was offered a job outside of our local travel area and had to turn it down due to personal reasons. Can I still qualify for discontinued service retirement? What would the penalties be? I have plenty of years but not the age. I have performed all my employment under FERS. A. Because the position you were offered was outside your commuting area, the fact that you turned it down wouldn’t keep…
Q. I retired from active-duty service in the U.S. Army in 2002. I became a Department of the Army civilian in 2009. When — how many years — can I retire from federal service? What is the computation/formula used to determine retirement pay? A. When you can retire is determined by your age and service. You can retire at age 62 with five years of service, 60 and 20, at your minimum retirement age with 30 or at your MRA+10 (but fewer than 30). If you make a deposit for your years of active-duty service, you’ll get credit for that time in…
Q. I am three years and eight months younger than my wife. She had carried the insurance premium for both of us since 1976. I had to take up Blue Cross/Blue Shield this year myself, since Medicare is not a family plan. I plan to retire for health reasons on April 27, 2013, with 34 years of service, but I do not know if my Federal Employees Health Benefits plan will continue, due to the recent acquiring of my own plan. I was under her plan as a dependent for 35 years, but I am also a federal employee. If…
Q. If you retire in the middle of a pay period, do you get credit for four hours of annual leave, or do you have to work the full pay period to get any credit for annual leave? A. You have to complete a pay period to get credit for annual and sick leave.
Q. I retired in October 2005 under CSRS Offset at age 55, and I just turned 62 in April. Do I have to file for Social Security, call the Office of Personnel Management, call Social Security, or is everything taken care of automatically? My pay has not been adjusted other than a tax adjustment I requested. Are they overpaying me since I turned 62? I have just under 34 years and five months of service with about 16 years in CSRS Offset. What should I be doing, if anything at all? A. The reduction in your CSRS Offset annuity should…