Q. I started with the federal government in January 1980 as a GS-2 (at the age of 19). In June 1993 (age 32), I became a GS-1811 (non-law enforcement-covered) position. In October 1994, I transferred to a law enforcement-covered position. I am being told by my agency that I could have retired in June. I think it is October 2014. I have submitted my retirement papers to retire Oct. 31. My agency tells me they have never submitted paperwork to the Office of Personnel Management that have been returned saying a person is not eligible. Does OPM ever come back saying a person is not eligible?
A. Yes, if they find that an employee doesn’t have the required age and service to retire on an immediate annuity or, in the case of a special category employee, that he doesn’t have the right combination to be eligible for early retirement and the enhanced annuity computation. You and your agency would need to find out why OPM rejected your retirement application.
