Q. I am retired and receive an annuity payment ever month. I have been having real bad back problem – my disk in my back affects my walking, I had the nerve burned and shot in my back – but nothing seem to help. Do I qualify for disability insurance? I’m 72 years old. Can I receive both benefits?
A. To qualify for Social Security disability benefits, you would have had to work long enough and recently enough under Social Security to be eligible to apply for them. To qualify for a disability benefit under either CSRS or FERS, you would have had to apply for that benefit no later than one year after you retired.