Q. My spouse is older than 60 and has become disabled. My spouse has 28-plus years of service in FERS.
Is is true that my spouse would get less on disability than normal retirement since my spouse would get no Social Security bridge? I know about the annuity recomputation at 62.
A. When your spouse applies for a FERS disability annuity, your spouse will also have to apply for Social Security disability benefits. If your spouse was approved for a disability annuity, it would be calculated as follows:
— For the first 12 months: 60 percent of your spouse’s high-3, minus any Social Security disability benefit to which your spouse would be entitled.
— After the first 12 months, 40 percent of your spouse’s high-3 minus 60 percent of any disability annuity.
— At age 62, your spouse’s disability annuity would be recalculated to include the time your spouse spent on the disability roll. Those years and full months of service would be multiplied by .01 percent and then by your spouse’s high-3 on the day your spouse went on disability, increased by any intervening cost-of-living adjustments.
