Q. Do service members retiring from the military from overseas locations who take a federal job at that overseas location receive the 360-hour max leave carryover ceiling?
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 have two employees that do not want to leave their spouses a survivor annuity, without the spouse signing anything. One is CSRS and the other is FERS. The FERS employee has been separated for two years now and does not want to leave him anything, since she is not legally separated. But if she was legally separated, does she have to leave him anything?
Q. If you are FERS and under 62, will your retired pay stay exactly the same until you start getting COLAs at 62? For example, if I retire at 56 and get $800 a month, does it stay that way for the next six years?
Q. What is discontinued service retirement? Will you keep your health benefits? As of March 7, 2017, I reached my minimum retirement age of 56. I have 24 years of service.
Q. I am currently employed with the Veterans Healthcare Administration, age 60, with more than 21 years of service. How does one go about initiating a request for buyout in the event none is being offered? Is this possible?
Q. I’m about to retire and I have unused sick time. I’m 67 years old and have 10 years of federal service. Can I be paid for the unused sick leave?
Q. I had 10 years of federal service in December 1987, and I elected to keep my retirement in CSRS rather than FERS. We moved to where there was no federal agency nearby where I could be employed. In 2006 I was able to get back in a federal job position and I was placed in CSRS Offset when the temporary position became full time. I have now worked 10 more years in CSRS Offset. I have worked in the private sector for 30 years, paying into Social Security.
Q. I am currently a federal employee and retired from the Army. I am receiving my military retirement (annuity). I recently paid a military deposit under FERS to position myself to waive my military retirement and add it to my federal time before I retire. I will also have approximately 45 years of combined service at the conclusion of my career. Am I eligible for CSRS or just FERS? The reason I now ask is because my new service computation date is now May 1982.
Q. I have 27 years of service and am currently employed with the federal government. I am 52 years old and was born in 1965. If I decide to leave before reaching 30 years of service and take a reduced annuity upon reaching my minimum retirement age, will the penalty be 20 percent in each of the four years before reaching 60, or will the penalty get reduced as I get closer to 60?
Q. I retired in March 2015 and presently receive a civil service annuity and Social Security. Can I return to the federal government and keep my annuity and Social Security check? I will be 67 years of age in April.