Q. Just received my military service earnings/buy back calculation from Defense Finance and Accounting Service. I had 15 years, 5 months and 13 days of Active-Guard-Reserve Service, but a total of 23-plus years in the National Guard, which would also qualify me for a National Guard pension at age 60. I understand that in addition to that Guard retirement check, which I will begin to receive in 2020, my buy-back of the 15-plus years, once paid and complete and added to my 15 years of federal civil service as an Army civilian in 3 years, would give me a total of 30 years of FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System) time. (I will have reached my MRA, too.) Therefore, I can collect my FERS retirement pension at age 58, and in addition to my Guard retirement pension 2 years later, collect two retirement pensions. With regard to the social security supplement that I will collect from age 58 to my minimum retirement age of 62, is this supplement based on just the FERS civilian-service time, or for all 30 years (which includes my active time with the Guard)?
A. The special retirement supplement is paid out to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. As a result, only actual FERS service is used in calculating the amount.
