Q. My dad is a retired civilian from the Air Force and has continued his health insurance for him and his spouse into retirement. My dad’s brother passed away, and he had a son who is handicapped (he is 56), and the state has awarded legal guardianship to my dad. Can my dad add him to his FEHB? A. Probably; however, he’ll have to check with his plan to be sure.
Yearly Archives: 2012
Q. I am confused about the supplement. I am 55 with 27 years in. My minimum retirement age is 56; reaching that mark would qualify me for the supplement, but how much will that be? My Social Security statement says $1,400 projected at age 62. And if I take the supplement, I understand I can only make, in addition to that, some $14,000. What happens at 62? Is my Social Security reduced for taking it at 56, or is this a nonpenalized benefit I am receiving? A. To be eligible for the special retirement supplement, you would have to retire…
Q. Can my accumulated sick leave be used to meet my time for 20 years? I am 68 and eligible for retirement, even though I have not reached 20 years of government service. If I retire in January 2015, I will have more than nine months of sick leave. Adding the nine months would take me to September 2015, which would give me 20 years. I have been told by my local personnel office that I will get credit for 20 years, but my interpretation is that I would not. A. Unused sick leave can not be used to increase…
Q. My husband passed away in 2005. He worked for the post office. I receive CSRS survivor benefits. I have legal permanent custody of my 4-year-old grandson. Is he entitled to survivor benefits as my dependent? A. No. Dependents acquired by a survivor after an employee or retiree dies aren’t eligible for survivor benefits.
Q. I will have been employed with USPS for 10 years in March. I bought back my four years of military time. I will be 56 in June. Do I qualify for SRS? A. First, the only way you could retire is under the MRA+10 provision (minimum retirement age with at least 10 years of service). Second, no one who retires under the MRA+10 provision is eligible to receive the special retirement supplement.
Q. I am an Air Force Reservist, in for 29 years or the equivalent of 11 active-duty years. I am also a federal employee for 23 years, six of which have been on active duty. Before I make a decision to buy back my federal civilian time, can I receive both an Air Force Reserve and federal civilian retirement at the same time, or do I have to choose one over the other? A. You can receive both reserve retired pay and a civilian annuity without a reduction in either.
Q. How is Medicare Part B deducted if you have a federal pension? Does it work like Social Security? I am not 65 yet but would like to know how I get my premiums paid from my pension. A. The Social Security Administration can arrange to have your Medicare Part B premiums deducted from your annuity. When you approach your 65th birthday, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. A benefits specialist will help you make the arrangement.
Q. When I initially joined federal service overseas, my original service computation date was March 4, 1982. Due to two small breaks in service (coming back from overseas under excepted service to a temporary job and then the break from the end of the temporary job to gaining a permanent position), my SCD was adjusted to April 3, 1983. I have since paid back the monies for the breaks in service (with the OPM documentation to prove it), but don’t understand why my SCD has not reverted back to the original date of March 4, 1982. Why doesn’t the SCD…
Q. I retired from the military in 1980 after 20 years and receive my Navy retirement. I started working as a CSRS employee with a service computation date of November 1979. I have been receiving my full Social Security since attaining full retirement age. I plan on retiring from CSRS in January 2014 with 35 years of CSRS service with no military buyback. Will I have any offset since my Social Security was based on my military and private employment and not CSRS? A. Because you will be receiving an annuity from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social…
Q. I am 46 with 22 years of service, and have been told that I will soon receive a letter of directed reassignment to a job in my same grade far outside my commuting area. When the letter arrives, if I should decline to move to the new position, what are my options for drawing retirement? How about insurance? Severance pay? What about my 401(k) in the Thrift Savings Plan? My performance ratings are not an issue. A. Reg: Because you wouldn’t meet the age and service requirements to retire, you’d only have one option. If you didn’t take a refund of…