Q: I submitted a date of my intended retirement to my supervisor and prior to my retirement, my division hired my replacement as an over-hire for training in my position. However, I want to delay my retirement date for about six to 12 months. Now my question is do I have a job position? A: In all likelihood, you don’t. While you can withdraw your application to retire on the date your specified, your agency can decline your request if it has a valid reason, and provides it to you in writing. Having already filled the position would appear to…
Author militaryonline
Q: I was a member of the New Jersey National Guard for about a year and later joint the active duty Army. I made a deposit for my active duty time. Can I get credit for the time I spend on active duty for basic and advance individual training as a member of the National Guard. A: No, you cannot get credit for that time.
Q: I retired from active duty military as of Sept. 25, 1993, and entered the Defense Department federal civil service Jan. 10, 1994. As of Jan. 10, 2011, I will have 17 years in federal civil service and will be 59 years old. My high-3 grade is GS-11. Is there any way I could buy back my military time, 20 years, to add to my federal civil service time to gain 20 years? For 17 years of civil service time, what would the percentage of retirement pay be? I am under the Federal Employees Retirement System. A: If you make…
Q: I’m trying to understand the military buy back system. I served in the military from November 1981 to May 1999. I finished just short of retirement but separated with an honorable discharge. I’m now a Defense Department civilian and currently buying back my military years. Right now all my years count toward federal retirement. Once I’m done buying back my military service, will I be eligible for military retirement and a retirement I.D. card? Will my years of government service be split (i.e. 20 years credit for military retirement and the others toward federal retirement)? A: When you complete…
Q: I work in the San Francisco Bay Area where the general service pay is at its highest. I plan to work through my 42nd year to achieve my goal of 80 percent of my high-three. I have more than one year of sick leave on the books. My question is, if I decided to transfer from the Bay Area (say back to Phoenix or Savannah, Ga.), would I still be able to claim my last high-three (Bay Area), and if so at what point would I need to retire to claim my high three? A: Your highest three consecutive…
Q: I have a one year time frame working for the Army in an overseas limited position, paying FICA taxes, but not in a retirement system. Can this time be bought back for retirement purposes? A: If you are currently covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System, the answer is no. If you are covered by Civil Service Retirement System, the answer is maybe. You’ll have to check with your agency’s personnel office to be certain.
Q: What are the procedures or forms that need to be filled out to be considered for federal re-employment after retirement? A: I suggest you start your re-employment search by going to www.usajobs.gov. That way you’ll be able to see what’s available and find out what you would need to do to apply for one.
Q: Where might I find my correct service computation date. After attending a seminar for Federal Employees Retirement System employees yesterday, I understand that the service computation date and leave date in box No. 12 may be incorrect. I went to work for a Veterans Affairs medical center in 1979, left for a few years, came back, worked one year at the post office. How can I ensure that all my years are being counted correctly? I know that my service computation date is incorrect. A: You’ll have to sit down with a specialist in your personnel office and go…
Q: I was married to a military person for 10 years while he was on active duty. I will be eligible for Civil Service Retirement System retirement and understand the Social Security offset concept. I believe I will be eligible for Social Security benefits based on my ex-husband’s Social Security benefits (I never remarried). Will it be worth it to apply for Social Security benefits despite the offset due to my CSRS annuity? Also, I withdrew three years of deposit in 1980 and was told by a co-worker that it wouldn’t be worth it to pay this back as the…
Q: Can you tell me which retirement plan should I have been in? I was temporarily employed by the federal government in 1983 but became a permanent employee in 1984. Shouldn’t I be under the Civil Service Retirement System? And not the Federal Employees Retirement System? A: No, I can’t tell you. What I can tell you is this: If you had five years of creditable service under CSRS before Jan. 1, 1987, you would have been entitled to be covered by CSRS with the option of electing to be covered by FERS. Since the Office of Personnel Management has…