Q. I’m a GS employee and have made a deposit to get credit for 10 years of active duty. Would that deposit be refunded to me if I’m called back to active duty? A. No, it wouldn’t. That would only happen if you resigned from the government and asked for a refund of all your retirement contributions. However, if you did, you would void all future entitlement to a retirement annuity.
Author Reg Jones
Reg Jones
Reg Jones was head of retirement and insurance policy at the Office of Personnel Management. Email your retirement-related questions to fedexperts@federaltimes.com.
Q. I only paid part of my buy back for my military time and applied for deferred retirement from civil service in September 2018. I just got a letter from the Office of Management and Budget telling me that they have refunded my partial payment to get credit for my military time and that my claim was denied. Not counting my military time, I had 10½ years in civil service. Because I have been disabled for some time I have been receiving Social Security and I am 30 percent service-connected from the military, so I do receive a disability check…
Q. My mother is in her late 80s and needs daily assistance to manage. Is there a provision in law that would allow me to retire now to take care of her even though I’m only age 48 with 22 years of FERS service? A. No, there isn’t.
Q. I was employed in June 2011 as an Army civilian. I served 33 years in the Marine Corps, out of which 14 years or so were active duty. I was still in the reserves when I was employed and retired from the reserves on July 1, 2011. My service computation date was computed to 08/27/97 for leave. After attending one of your seminars, I checked the government retirement and benefits website and my SCD on GRB is the same as my leave date. According to the GRB website, I am eligible for voluntary retirement on Jan. 18, 2020. Problem is,…
Q. I’m 63 years old with 17 years with the federal government. Can I lose my pension if I get fired for misconduct? A. No, you can’t. Under 5 U.S. Code 8312, employees can only lose their pension if they are convicted of such offenses as gathering or delivering defense information to a foreign government, treason, insurrection, sedition, conspiracy or advocating the overthrow of the government.
Q. I will be 68 next year when I retire as a CSRS annuitant. I’m having Medicare deductions taken from my paycheck. Will I continue to have them taken from my annuity check? A. No, you won’t. Premiums for Medicare Part A are only deducted from earnings from wages or self-employment. They aren’t deducted from annuities.
Q. I’m a FERS employee who has already submitted his paperwork to retire. Now, I’ve changed my mind and want to move it to a later date. Can I do that? A. In most cases, changing your retirement date won’t be a problem. However, if your position is either being eliminated or your agency has already selected someone to fill your position, it can refuse your request. The reason for its refusal will have to be given to you in writing.
Q. When I married a federal retiree, she changed her health benefits and life insurance coverage to include me. While she planned to elect a survivor benefit for me, she didn’t. I only learned that when I reported her death and applied for a survivor annuity. Now OPM has told me that I’m not entitled to a survivor annuity and as a result am not entitled to coverage under the health benefit program. Is that right? A. Yes, it is. Because you didn’t marry her until after she had retired, she wasn’t required to provide you with a survivor annuity. Since she…
Q. I’m planning to retire in a year and was told that I need to have a copy of the designated beneficiary form for life insurance, the TSP, survivor annuity and unused leave. What forms do I need to complete? A. You filled out those forms when you were first hired. What you need to do now is check to see if the designations of beneficiary you made then are the ones you want now. To find out, go to your personnel office and ask to see your official personnel folder (OPF). If changes are needed, you can go to…
Q. Can I get a survivor benefit for my wife after my FERS disability turns to regular retirement at age 62? A. Your wife is automatically entitled to a full survivor benefit, whether you are receiving a disability benefit or a retirement annuity.