Q. I paid my military buyback last month, and the payment showed on my Leave and Earnings Statement. I understand that under new procedures, it’s necessary to have a “paid in full” letter before I can apply for retirement using that time, and that it can take up to 120 days to get the letter. Some things I’ve read also say you have to submit a request to get that letter. Is that true? If so, where do I send my request?
A. I’m not aware of any such procedure. Because military buyback is handled by your agency, documentation should be placed in your employee folder, including the fact that you paid your military deposit. If you feel you would like a letter, you can request this from your HR department. However, nothing requires that you have such a letter before you retire. The Office of Personnel Management will have a record of your completed deposit, which is all that’s needed to complete the computation of your annuity.
