Q. I am a FERS employee with approximately 28 years of service. Do service computation dates for leave normally vary substantially from service computation dates for retirement? What factors might cause an SCD for leave to be different from an SCD for retirement? At the beginning of my career, as an AF dependent, I worked GS jobs overseas on excepted appointments. I know I received credit for SCD for leave for that service, and I assume I received credit toward retirement from the time served in those appointments as well. A. The rules governing leave accrual rates and retirement are…
Monthly Archives: January, 2013
Q. I served four years in the Navy and four years in the Army consecutively, and two tours in Vietnam in the Navy. In mid- to late 1987, I began working at the Federal Bureau of Prisons under FERS as a correctional officer. I worked for 11-plus years in the prison system and left. I cashed out my TSP. I am 59. With nearly 20 years of service, if I were to return to federal employment and work for several more years, would I qualify for retirement and a federal pension? A. Yes. If you didn’t take a refund of…
Q. I’ve been a federal retiree under the CSRS for more than 25 years. I am curious about the fact that I have received in monthly benefits more than 10 times the amount I and my employer, the federal government, contributed during my 30-plus years of employment. I am aware that CSRS was phased out more than 25 years ago with consequent reduction of new contributions from the existing employees. (The Social Security System has a continuous source of new funds to pay into its trust fund, an advantage CSRS lacks.) What is the source of the extra funding that…
Q. I retired with 30 years of active-duty service and plan to retire at 62 with 14 years of civil service retirement. How will my retirement for each be affected, if at all, with respect to Social Security benefits? Will I receive social security at all? Thank you. A. You’ll be able to receive you military retired pay, a FERS annuity based on your FERS service and a Social Security benefit. The Social Security benefit will be based on all your years of Social Security-covered employment.
Q. I am a CSRS employee. If I elect survivor benefits and my nongovernment spouse dies before I do, will my annuity return to the full amount? If I should die before him, will he receive my full amount or the survivor amount? Does it matter if I elect a lower survivor benefit annuity — that is, not 55 percent? A. If you elect a survivor benefit for your spouse and he dies before you, your annuity will be restored to what it would have been if you hadn’t made that election. If you die before he does, he’ll receive…
Q. My husband is a retired federal employee and has Blue Cross Standard through the federal government. If he dies before I do, can I keep the medical coverage? And should we consider going to the basic Blue Cross Blue Shield plan if we have Medicare Part B? A. As long as he is enrolled in the self and family option and you are receiving a survivor annuity, you will be able to continue that coverage. Whether you should change your FEHB coverage level if you have Medicare Part B is something you’ll have to figure out for yourselves. You…
Q. I retired in 1993 with 24 years of service and 30 percent disability. I am a government employee under FERS with 12 years. When I retire, will I able to receive both FERS and my military retirement pay without a reduction in pay? A. You would be able to receive your military retired pay and an annuity based solely on your years of actual FERS service.
Q. I retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs after 42 years of CSRS service. I also retired from the U.S. Army Reserve with 31 years of service. In the Reserve, I paid into the Social Security system. I always understood that I would not receive Social Security payments due to the windfall elimination provision or government pension offset. However while I was visiting a Social Security office on another matter, a rep told me that because I paid in for more than 20 years, I would receive a percentage of my Social Security entitlement. Is this true, and if…
Q. Hello, I have seen many questions about getting credit for military service when retiring under FERS, but I wonder if it works the other way, too. If a person was in the military, separated from service and worked for the federal government under FERS, and then went back into the military, is his FERS time creditable to his military retirement? A. No.
Q. I have been a federal employee for five years and have covered myself and my minor child under the BCBS basic family plan. My husband is disabled and receives Medicare for his primary and his employee plan for his secondary health insurance. His employer plan’s monthly premium has become expensive, and it would be more cost-effective if he were on my plan. Can I add him to my family plan during open enrollment? A. Yes.