Monthly Archives: September, 2012

Q. I’m a 52-year-old mail handler with 28 years of service. I still owe on my mortgage. I have enough equity to buy something smaller and pay most of it in full. Would I be eligible to retire now to take advantage of the $15,000 early-out being offered? A. Because you meet the age and service requirements for early voluntary retirement, you could do so if you were offered a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment.

Q. I worked as a civil service employee for the Signal Corps, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, from 1961 to 1966. Would I be entitled to any kind of pension? A. If retirement contributions were taken from your pay, you left those contributions in the retirement fund when you left and you had worked full-time for at least five years, you’d be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62.

Q. I have been under CSRS since 1983 with the USPS. I was sent home from the National Reassessment Program claiming no work available and have been in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs since April 2010. I’ve been through vocational rehab training and still cannot find work. I am struggling financially, and I need to know which one will benefit me more: the VERA/$15,000 incentive or disability retirement. A. I can narrow the field for you. First, because you have a disability such that you are or would be eligible for disability retirement, you are barred from receiving a…

Q. I am an Air Force employee under FERS and have bought back my military time, which includes Reserve active-duty time. My Reserve active duty was done mostly in periods of a few days at a time without any regular schedule, and I was often on duty only three or four days a week. I was on a separate active-duty order for each period of a few days. All my Reserve active-duty days total to 1,625 days. I have received a Certified Summary of Federal Service from the Air Force that credited me with four years, five months and nine…

Q. I am a retired Navy veteran who recently became a federal employee. How does my military service count toward my federal service time, leave and retirement benefits? A. To learn what benefits you are entitled to as a retired member of the armed forces, go to www.opm.gov/StaffingPortal/vetguide.asp and scroll to Service Credit.

Q. I am an Air Force civilian under FERS deployed overseas as an Army civilian detail. I have 20 years of service as of July and am 56. Am I eligible for VERA? I have been offered a position by a non-DoD federal agency and I would like to accept it. A. While you meet the age and service requirements to retire under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, you can only do that if you are in an organization, geographic area or category of positions to which your agency is making such offers.

Q. I have been contributing to the voluntary contributions program for many years. I understand that when I retire, I can move the interest earnings into my Thrift Savings Plan account and then the principal can be taken out as either a cash payment or an annuity. However, I was informed that the cash payment or annuity is an either/or option and that I can’t designate 50 percent for an annuity and 50 percent for a cash payment. Is this correct? A. Yes.

Q. I am about to be medically retired. I have seven years of federal law enforcement service and three years of state law enforcement service. I have seen that I have to sign up for Social Security. I am confused about this because I wish to keep working, but because of my job duties, I am unable to continue working at my present job. I know I qualify for the FERS medical retirement. I am pretty sure I do not qualify for Social Security. So what happens to the medical retirement if I am denied Social Security? This is a…

Q. I am going through the hiring process for a couple of federal law enforcement agencies. I am 41; however, I am a veteran’s preference eligible candidate and therefore eligible for an age waiver. As such, the agencies have advised me that hiring of eligible such candidates older than 37 has occurred and is occurring; however, no one can tell me how that affects the mandatory retirement of 57. I have 18 years of military service. roughly half active duty and half reserve time (I am a drilling reservist looking to retire out of the reserves at 20 years). What…

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