Q. Is an office closure that forces employees into a Discontinued Service Early Retirement considered voluntary or involuntary when the employee is rehired as a re-employed annuitant. Namely, if involuntary, not subject to new Federal Salary offset.
A. If you choose to retire in the face of a reduction-of-force, your retirement is voluntary. If you are separated by a RIF, it’s involuntary. However, no matter which way you went, it would have no affect on the amount you’d have to contribute to the retirement fund if you were re-employed by the federal government. The higher contribution rate doesn’t apply to re-employed annuitants.
