Monthly Archives: November, 2012

Q. The cost of optional Medicare Part B coverage goes up by $60 this year and a lot more the year after.  I want to rescind this coverage.  Am I right in assuming that it is still optional? A. Yes, enrollment in Medicare Part B is optional. Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.

Q. Can I buy back my reserve schooling and my summer camps that are active duty on my chronicle statement? On SF 50 block 31, if I buy back three years of my active duty from my reserves and I started in 2005 for the civilian federal government, is it supposed to be counted from 2002? It’s now 2012. Does it mean I have 10 years of federal time? I retired out of the Army Reserve with 20 years. Out of those 20 years, I have two DD-214s — one for basic and Advanced Individual Training and one for Afghanistan…

Q. I am a CSRS Offset employee. I am 65 years old with 32 years of federal service and will retire Jan. 3. I will turn 66 in March. When I retire, $675 will be deducted from my monthly annuity — not much left to retire on. The benefit counselor told me to apply for Social Security now to start receiving in January. If I do that, would my Social Security be reduced since I’ll be two months short of being 66 years old? A. While it’s true that your CSRS annuity will be reduced by the amount of Social…

Q. I am retiring Jan. 31. I am out on medical leave. Can I use leave without pay for two months so I won’t have to return to work prior to retiring? A. That’s entirely up to your agency. You’ll need to discuss the matter with your supervisor.

Q. I will be retiring Jan. 31 from the Postal Service, taking advantage of the incentive offer that requires that date as your retirement date. Jan. 31 is a Thursday and a regular workday for me. Do I report for work that day? If that is the case, isn’t my effective retirement date Feb 1? Essentially, is Jan. 31 my last day that I will be at work, or is Jan. 31 my first day of not going to work? A. You will be retiring at the close of business on Jan. 31. You’ll be on the annuity roll Feb.…

Q. I’ve been given the opportunity for an early retirement at the Postal Service in January, but I probably won’t take it. I’m in FERS. If I retire at my minimum retirement age of 56 in August, will I also be able to get the special retirement supplement without the Postal Service offering a monetary incentive to retire? What I’m trying to determine is whether the supplement is only offered under certain circumstances. A. The special retirement supplement is paid to FERS employees who retire on an immediate, unreduced annuity when they reach their minimum retirement age. The following age…

Q. I am a federal employee with 32+ years of civil service, planning on retiring in the next five years. I have been enrolled in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan throughout my career. My husband retired from active duty Aug. 31 with 23+ years. We had dual coverage under Tricare and FEHB since August 1995, with FEHB being primary and Tricare as secondary. Now that my husband has retired, to continue to be covered under Tricare, he had to sign up for a specific Tricare plan, for which we are now charged a monthly premium. We are trying to determine…

Q. I am a Postal Service level 21 employee, and will retire with about 41 years and 11 months in early 2013 with my high-3 close to my frozen level 21 value. When I retire, I will have been detailed to a level 23 position for about a year and a half, with a modest increase in pay during that time. Will the Office of Personnel Management use only my level 21 pay for annuity calculations or will the detail/higher level pay be considered? A. A high-3 is based on the highest three consecutive years of average salary from which…

Q. I retired from civil service March 31 after 45 years and nine months under CSRS. Before that, I served three years in the military (1962-65), and other private industry jobs throughout the years went to Social Security to earn 40 quarters. At age 65, I started drawing a Social Security pension. Now, Social Security says it is reducing that check by half and I have to repay half of what was paid to me since April 1 unless I can prove it was not my fault I received the money. What? This all because I retired and started drawing…

Q. My plan is to retire Jan. 1, 2014. I am 66 years old and, as of Jan. 1, 2013, will have 33 years of government service under CSRS. If sequestration happens and I lose my job, will I be able to apply for retirement at that point, or will it be lost? A. Since you already meet the age and service requirements to retire, you could do that at any time. Sequestration would have no effect on your entitlement to an annuity or its payment to you.

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