Q. Can I apply for an air traffic controller FERS retirement even if I am not employed by the federal government? I left the FAA OCT in 2009 and was 47. I resigned in good standing and left only for personal reasons.
I am now 50 with more than 21 years of good air traffic controller time. I was hired by the FAA in 1988 and also have 6½ years’ Air Force time. I have also paid back my military service. I now receive Social Security for disability. Does this impact my eligibility for FERS? What do I do?
A. You would be eligible for an enhanced annuity based on your 20 years of air traffic controller service when you reach your minimum retirement age, which in your case appears to be 56 years and two months. The remaining air traffic controller service and the active-duty service for which you made a deposit would be calculated using the standard formula. The fact that you are receiving Social Security disability benefits would have no effect on your entitlement to a FERS annuity.
