Q. I’m doing my second tour with the Department of Justice. During my first tour (1984-2001), I was in CSRS. When I rejoined DoJ in 2007, our admin office put me into FERS, contrary to my preference. I’ve asked them repeatedly to fix what they acknowledge was their error, but they keep telling me it’s “hard” and they’re working on it. Is there a higher authority that I can appeal to about this?
A. Because you were first hired after Dec. 31, 1983, you were put in CSRS Interim (CSRS and Social Security). Because you had fewer than five years of service, when FERS became effective Jan. 1, 1987, you should have been switched to FERS. When you returned to work for the government, you were placed in the correct retirement system: FERS. Because of that, there is nothing to appeal.
