Q. I have 31 years of federal service at age 50: 27 Civil Service and 4 military which I bought back. Do I wait to fill out my retirement paperwork near my minimum retirement age, or do I fill that out at the time I resign? I read that because I have five point preference that my reinstatement rights don’t have a three year time limit? If I resign and then apply for a federal job and get hired at age 55, work one year and then retire at my MRA of 56, would I be eligible for the Social Security Supplement? Can I leave my Thrift Savings Plan money where it is and not transfer it to an IRA?
A. Yes, if you returned to work for the government, you could retire under the MRA+30 provision and receive the special retirement supplement. However, I think it would be extremely inconsiderate and self-centered of you to put an agency through the trouble of hiring you only to have you retire without working long enough to pay them back for their effort.
