Q. I am a Department of Army term employee overseas and was recently informed by human resources that the Army will not renew (extend) my term appointment once I complete 24 months in January 2014. I have 25 years (18 military, seven FERS) of combined service for retirement purposes from civil service. If I can’t continue federal employment by the time I complete my current 24-month term assignment, what status should I choose if I intend to return to federal employment in the near future? In other words, if I must have a break in service, I want to ensure I have my ducks in a row once I return to civil service. Once I return to civil service, I don’t want to be told, “Well since you didn’t elect to blah blah blah, I am afraid you don’t qualify for blah blah blah. Didn’t anyone advise you to blah blah blah when you left federal service?” I have three children under age 5 and a spouse.
A. What do you mean, “What status should I choose”? You don’t have a choice. You’ll simply be separated, and that fact will be documented on a Standard Form 50.
