Q. You have stated that to calculate the high-3, OPM will consider only salaries from which the government has deducted retirement contributions.
For which items will they not deduct the contributions? Social Security taxes? Medicare taxes? Medical, dental and vision insurance payments? Thrift plan payments?
I think it is fraud when everywhere it is stated “average of three highest salaries” and the actual amount is way low. Nobody told me that’s how it is calculated.
I was a title 38 physician and have retired under FERS, but I also have CSRS component.
A. First, let’s clear the deck. There isn’t any fraud. A high-3 is based on an employee’s highest three consecutive years of average basic pay, not salary. Second, basic pay is the amount you receive before any deductions are taken out for Social Security, Medicare, medical, dental and vision insurance, the TSP, etc.
