Q. I was born in 1959, which gives me a minimum retirement age of 56. I have bought back my military time and have 25 years with the federal (Veterans Affairs) government. I am thinking of retiring because my husband now lives and works in Canada. What retirement is right for me so I don’t lose much money?
A. You can think about retiring, but you can’t retire. That’s because you don’t meet the age and service requirements. If you don’t want to stay until you do, you could resign from the government and apply for a deferred annuity at age 60. Your annuity would be computed using the standard FERS formula: 0.01 x your high-3 on the day you left x your years and full months of service. You wouldn’t be eligible to receive the special retirement supplement, which approximates the Social Security benefit you earned while a FERS employee, nor could you re-enroll in either the FEHB or FEGLI programs.
