Q: I received a federal disability pension in 1991. I retrained and was able to work until 2004, when the same condition worsened. I applied for Social Security disability benefits and received them beginning in 2008. I just received a notice that the federal civil service disability pension is considered a windfall. A calculation will be made with the windfall rule to reduce my Social Security disability. Is this discrimination against the disabled? Is there a way I can fight or protest this situation? A: Apparently you are subject to the windfall elimination provision, which applies to the Social Security…
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 just read an article about the 2010 Defense Authorization Act, and it speaks of allowing employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System to redeposit. I took a refund of $1,600 and lost 13 years of military time for retirement under the FERS system because redeposit was not allowed. I understand this new law authorizes FERS employees to redeposit for civil service time. Does it allow for redeposit for military time? A: No, it doesn’t.
Q: I was a federal employee for the better part of 1991-1997, during which time I made a deposit for a percentage of my base pay received during active-duty Army service that totaled $8,098.17. I then separated from civilian service and returned to active duty, where I remained until retirement in 2007. I am now a civilian employee again. I no longer intend to use my years of military service toward a civilian retirement. Is there any way I can have that deposit refunded, either now or when I retire as a civilian employee? A: You could only receive a…
Q: I will be retiring in January with 31 years of federal service. I also have more than 40 quarters to qualify for Social Security. My wife will be applying for Social Security benefits when she turns 62 this January. When we retire, will she be able to collect her full Social Security benefit, and will I be able to collect my share of Social Security under the windfall elimination provision? A: She will be able to collect her full earned Social Security benefit. When you apply for a Social Security benefit, it will, as you pointed out, be subject…
Q: As a Civil Service Retirement System employee who will have 30 years of service by mid-2011 but wont be 55 until the end of 2013, is there any way to retire in 2011? If so, what kinds of penalties would I face? A: The only way you could retire before reaching age 55 would be if your agency were to offer you an opportunity to do so. Early outs are only offered when an agency has received approval from the Office of Personnel Management based on the agency’s need to downsize or restructure its work force; those opportunities usually…
Q: I have 70.5 days of annual leave and will be separating very soon via a Medical Evaluation Board on a service-connected disability. Am I allowed to sell my annual leave? Are there any pros and cons? A: All civilian employees who separate from the government either by resigning or retiring automatically receive a lump-sum payment for their unused annual leave.
Q: I am retired under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I had sick leave accrued, but I did not use it before I retired. I am looking at returning to federal service; will the sick leave I did not use be given back to me if I am rehired? A: Yes, it will.
Q: I will be retiring in May 2011 at age 55 with 34 years of service in the Civil Service Retirement System. Four years of that time is added on from my military time, for which I did not make a deposit. If I work enough, will I be able to collect Social Security at age 65, not at 62? I only have 23 Social Security credits right now. A: If you retire before age 62 and won’t eligible for a Social Security benefit at that age, your CSRS annuity won’t be affected. However, if you become eligible for a…
Q: Is a reserve-component retired military person considered a nonveteran the same as an active-duty retired military person in a reduction-in-force? A: To find out how your service in the armed forces would be credited during a reduction-in-force, read the Office of Personnel Management’s VetGuide, located online here.
Q: I am a GS-4, Step 10 employee under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I am 55 years old and want to know whether I can retire. I’ve done 22 years of federal service and have four years of military time (1973-76); I was told I need to buy back the time, but I don’t have the money they said it would cost me. I would like to retire early because of high blood pressure. My doctor told me it was caused by job stress. I was diagnosed by my doctor after I was hospitalized while on the job because…