Q. I recently turned 65 and am retired and collecting Social Security and have Medicare Part A. My husband works for the government and has self and family health coverage. Am I still covered under his policy? A. Yes.
Monthly Archives: July, 2012
Q. I am writing in regards to my husband’s Postal Service pension. He passed away 10 years ago at the age of 75. I’m now 84 and questioning whether I could be entitled to his pension for the time he served? A. You wouldn’t be entitled to a survivor benefit; however, if he didn’t take a refund of his retirement contributions, you would be entitled to receive those. To find out, write to the Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Services and Management Group, P.O. Box 655, Boyers, PA 16017-0045. Be sure to provide them with you deceased spouse’s full name,…
Q. I am currently on active duty. Prior to that, I was employed in the federal Bureau of Prisons. What would be my service computation date: the date I began as a civil servant or the date I came on active duty? A. For retirement purposes, your SCD would be the date you entered on duty as a civilian employee of the federal government. Your period of active duty wouldn’t be included in determining your length of service unless you returned to a federal civilian position and made a deposit to the retirement fund for that period of active-duty service.
Q. Under my current position description as an Integrated Resource Crewmember, I am required to sustain my arduous level of firefighter qualification. Does this qualify me for secondary firefighter retirement? I have a little over three years as a primary and switched to this position which does not have secondary firefighter retirement? A. To be eligible for the special retirement benefits for firefighters, you would have to have 20 years of service, starting in a primary position and either staying there or moving directly into a secondary position. Your agency is the one that will determine if your current position qualifies you for…
Q. Is the retirement high-3 average affected by taking less than six months leave without pay during the high-3 basic pay years? A. No.
Q. If I buy back my military time (20 years), I’ll have 35 years of federal service and be 54 years of age. If an early retirement is offered, would I be eligible? A. Yes.
Q. I retired under CSRS in 2003 and have 26 credits for Social Security. I seem to remember from a pre-retirement seminar that I should sign up for Social Security two or three months before turning 65, which will be this year, even though I am not entitled to Social Security. Do I need to sign up if I am not entitled to it? A. No, you don’t. You only need to sign up for a Social Security benefit if you’re entitled to one.
Q. I am separating from civil service after 15 years. Is it more advantageous for me to take my leave as terminal leave or accept a lump-sum payment? (I have approximately 20 days). A. There is no such thing as terminal leave in the federal civilian government. The decision of whether to approve a request to take annual leave before retirement is entirely up to your supervisor. If you end up having a choice between taking annual leave or receiving a lump-sum payment, you’ll have to figure out which would be more advantageous in your situation. One size does not…
The longest-serving feds are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System. Those hired in 1984 or later are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System. In between are those covered by CSRS Offset, a hybrid that combines CSRS and Social Security. To be covered by CSRS Offset, you have to have been a CSRS employee for at least five years before 1984, left government and returned after a break in service. If you returned in 1984 or later after a break of a year or more, you would have been automatically covered by CSRS and Social Security, with the option of…
Q. I am 59 with 23 years’ service under FERS. If I retire now, will I receive the special retirement supplement of 50 percent of expected SSI until 62? A. If you retire now, you won’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement and you’ll be subject to the 5 percent per year penalty for being younger than 62 because you’d be retiring under the MRA+10 provision (minimum retirement age with between 10 and 29 years of service). If you want to avoid the age penalty and receive the SRS, wait until you reach age 60 to retire.