Q. As a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller, if I am medically retired with 18 (good) years but did not get to the required 20, when I reach age 62, will my 18 years be paid at 1.7 percent and not 1 percent?
A. No, they won’t. Disability annuities for FERS employees are computed using an entirely different formula. For the first 12 months, you’d receive 60 percent of your high-3 minus 100 percent of any Social Security disability benefit to which you are entitled. After the first 12 months and up to age 62, you’d receive 40 percent of your high-3 minus 60 percent of any Social Security disability benefit. At age 62, your annuity would be recomputed as if you had worked to age 62. The total time would be multiplied by 1 percent.
