Q. After Jan. 1 2014, how is the unused sick leave dollar amount calculated and in what form is the compensation rendered to the retiree? A. Unused sick leave has no dollar value. Instead, once you meet the age and service requirements to retire, it will be added to your actual service and used in the computation of your annuity.
Monthly Archives: August, 2012
Q. How do I find out if I made “substantial salary” over the 28 years I was in Civil Service? I worked off duty during that time and paid into Social Security but do not know if I qualify for the exemption. A. To find out if your Social Security-covered earnings were substantial, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10045.html. There you’ll find the dollar amounts that qualify as substantial earnings for each year from 1937 to the present.
Q. How can I get my Medicare Part B premiums deducted from my annuity? I will be 65 in November 2012, and I am retired from the federal government. Will I get info on Medicare? A. You’ll have to ask Medicare to do that for you. To find out how, go to www.medicare.gov/basics/socialsecurity.asp.
Q. I am attempting to help my brother apply for his postponed FERS retirement. When he left government service, he was 55 with more than 10 years of service, so he was eligible for retirement, but he decided to postpone it to avoid the age reductions. He is now 65 and has never applied for his FERS annuity. I am filling out the forms for him, and I am unsure what date to put down as an effective date. I’ve read the OPM Web pages but can’t find information that pertains to someone applying for the postponed annuity after turning…
Q. My husband served 20 years in the Army and has been deceased for more than 30 years. I was told that because he was a federal employee, a percent of his military time should count toward my Federal Employees Retirement. Is this true? A. No.
Q. If I retire at 63 from VA, can I go back and get rehired? A. Yes; however, as a re-employed annuitant, as a rule your salary would be offset by the amount of your annuity.
Q. I am a FERS retiree since September 2007, at which time I was 50. I elected survivor benefits for my spouse, who is 14½ years older than I am. She was 64 when I retired. I elected to remain in FEHB. Additionally, I did not stop working, as I took a job with a private firm before my retirement date and had medical benefits with that firm, in addition to my FEHB coverage. When my spouse was eligible to receive Medicare Part B the following year, she elected not to take it based on a briefing we received by…
Q. Have step increases been frozen? A. No.
Q. I spent a little less than 10 years in the Navy, leaving with an honorable discharge, having served in Vietnam. Within two years of leaving the service, I worked for the civil service for less than a year. I am now older than 62; am I eligible for civil or federal service retirement? I have paid into Social Security and am collecting. A. Since you weren’t vested in the civilian retirement system, you aren’t eligible for an annuity. You’ll have to check with your branch of service to see if you are entitled to any military benefits.
Q. If you are fired, does this make you ineligible for federal retirement annuity payments? I have the option to resign or be fired; would going the firing route make me ineligible for federal benefits? I have 21 years of federal service under FERS. A. If you don’t take a refund of your retirement contributions, you’d be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 60.