Q. I recently made a lateral move from one federal law enforcement agency to another, after about four years with my former agency. I moved from one FERS-covered position to another. On my leave and earnings statement, my military service credit purchase/payment, which I paid in a lump sum about five years ago, has disappeared, and my cumulative FERS retirement funds reset to zero. I contacted the Office of Personnel Management, which instructed me that my former agency should have forwarded my “account” to OPM for maintenance, and that I would receive a letter stating the account was in maintenance with OPM at some point in the future. Should I be worried? What can I do to make sure I didn’t just lose nine years of credit when retirement rolls around?
A. I wouldn’t be worried. However, I’d be prudent. Go back to your former agency and alert them to what they failed to do and press them to correct their error, if possible. Also, let your current agency know what you learned from OPM and what you are doing to correct the error.
