Q. I was a half-time Veterans Affairs Department psychologist at an outpatient clinic from 1981 to 1993. During the first part of the period of employment, I recall that I was part of the standard VA retirement system. If my memory is correct, I was compelled to join the Thrift Savings Plan and also had some reduced level of participation in the some retirement plan (maybe it was Social Security) in the final years of my employment. I received an annual notice regarding TSP, but I have not received any other information on any possible retirement benefits. I am now 66 years old. Should I be eligible for some sort of pension or retirement benefit aside from the TSP? Who may I contact to explore this question?
A. I know of only one way to find out. Go to www.opm.gov, click on Find Form(s), and download a copy of Standard Form 2801, Application for Immediate Retirement. After filling it out, send the form to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Services and Management Group, P.O. Box 45, Boyers, PA 16017-0045. If retirement deductions were taken from your pay and you didn’t receive a refund of those contributions when you left, you would be eligible for a deferred annuity.
