Q. I had bought back my military time (three years) when I was hired at the Postal Service. My hire date was April 15, 1985. My pension shows my service computation date as 1982 as it should, but I am getting conflicting answers on my special supplement. One video I watched says I can’t get creditable service time for those years because I served prior to being hired here. Now I read some of these articles and people are being told that as long as you buy the time back, you should receive credit toward the special retirement supplement. I just hit the 30-year mark and turned 56 at the end of August. The way I’m hearing, I will only get credit for 27 years on the supplement.
A. What you heard is right. By law, the special retirement supplement is based solely on actual FERS service. It does not include active-duty service for which a deposit has been made.
