Q. I am a federal employee and am going on active-duty orders for more than 30 days, which makes me eligible for Tricare for 180 days before my deployment, during my deployment and 180 days after my deployment. Can I suspend my FEHB during that period or just the time that I am on orders for? A. Yes. See www.opm.gov/insure/health/eligibility/tricare.asp.
Monthly Archives: December, 2012
Q. I am a CSRS employee with more than 30 years’ service and plan on retiring in a few months. What is the minimal amount I need to put on Form 2801-110 in Section F (Annuity Election), Number 2, which states, “I choose a reduced annuity with a partial survivor annuity (equal to 55% of $_____________ a year) for my spouse named in Section E”? I saw in a related question someone had asked if all they need to put here was $1 of survivor benefit for their spouse to be covered by the FEHB insurance and the answer was…
Q. My friend’s husband died recently. She does not receive a survivor’s benefit because his first wife was awarded the maximum benefit in the divorce settlement. Can she keep her federal health insurance? A. She could continue her health benefits coverage only if she was 1) receiving a survivor annuity, 2) a federal employee or 3) a retiree who was receiving an annuity based on her own federal employment.
Q. I retired at 75 percent with a mixed FED CSRS/LE retirement, was not carrying health benefits and DID NOT take a reduced annuity. I have the life insurance 3X. My wife is soon to retire at about 50 percent with 34 years (fed CSRS locked in 21 years plus FERS), and she will be over the MRA of 56. Our Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage is under her name. How should we continue health benefits? How would it affect coverage and her annuity if she DOES NOT take the reduced annuity? I am being told that her annuity is…
Q. I retired at 75 percent with a mixed FED CSRS/LE retirement, was not carrying health benefits and DID NOT take a reduced annuity. I have the life insurance 3X. My wife is soon to retire at about 50 percent with 34 years (fed CSRS locked in 21 years plus FERS), and she will be over the MRA of 56. Our Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage is under her name. How should we continue health benefits? How would it affect coverage and her annuity if she DOES NOT take the reduced annuity? I am being told that her annuity is…
Q. I’m a full-time civilian Defense Department employee in the Navy Reserve. I’ve been involuntarily recalled to active duty under SEC 12302, Title 10 USC, for 400 days to Afghan. Will I continue to accrue annual and sick leave on active duty? Thank you. A. No. You could accrue annual and sick leave only if you took annual leave for some or all of the time you were on active duty.
Q. I know that if the military loses membership due to medical reasons, they get processed out on the technician side and apply for the 60/40. If I am a federal civilian technician and I become medically unable to return to work, am I eligible for the same 60/40 disability? I am just curious about my entitlements since I have been out of work medically almost 6 months. A. You would have to apply for disability retirement.
Q. My wife retired from a civil service job with 31 years of service and gets a retirement check each month. She continued to work elsewhere under Social Security and now has enough quarters to get a Social Security retirement. Will she continue to get her complete civil service check and one from Social Security? A. Assuming she was a CSRS employee, she’ll continue to receive her unreduced CSRS annuity; however, her Social Security benefit will be subject to the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who receives an annuity from a retirement system,…
Q. I retired from the Coast Guard with 20 years of service. I have not bought any time for retirement. I know that if I buy back those 20 years, I will have 30 years to count toward civilian retirement. If I do buy it back now, what happens to my Coast Guard retirement check if I keep working for the government? I know it will stop once I retire, but what happens if I keep working? A. Regardless of when you make your deposit, you won’t have to waive your military retired pay until you retire from your civilian…
Q. I will be retiring Jan. 11, 2014, the end of the last pay period of 2013. Will I be able to carry over all my accrued annual leave, about 730 hours, at that time? I am a federal firefighter. A. I don’t think you are asking if you can carry that leave over. Instead, you want to know if you will be able to get a lump-sum payment for the entire amount if you retire no later than close of business Jan. 11, 2014. The answer is yes.