Q: I have been retired from federal service (Civil Service Retirement System) for the past eight years after 30 years of government service. I am enrolled under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan for myself and my family. If I were to die, would my wife continue to get health benefits? A: Yes, if you elected a survivor benefit for her. If you didn’t, she wouldn’t.
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 retired under a medical retirement. I am married and got my Federal Employees Retirement System and Social Security Disability Insurance. If this combined income is not enough to live on, is it possible for me to apply for Supplemental Security Income for my spouse and myself? A: You can always apply for Supplemental Security Income. Whether your request would be approved depends on a number of factors. I suggest that you go to the Social Security Administration website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pub/11000.html and review the criteria. Information about how to apply for benefits is also provided on that site.
Q: Is unused sick leave (now credited to length of service for annuity purposes) included/applied to calculations of Federal Employees Retirement System law enforcement officers’ length of service? A: No. Sick leave is only added after an employee has met the eligibility requirements for an annuity.
Q: I have eight years of active-duty service and 10 years with the reserves. What part of that time counts toward the Federal Employees Retirement System? I was also recalled to active duty for an eight-month period and want to know whether I can add all this time. A: Your active-duty service in the armed forces will only count if you make a deposit to the civilian retirement fund. You have already received credit for any two-week periods of annual active duty for training, which for leave purposes have been treated as if you were still on the job. Reserve…
Q: My husband retired under the Civil Service Retirement System Offset program and had a 55 percent survivor benefit for me. I am Federal Employees Retirement System employee, and I will be retiring in three years with the maximum survivor benefit for him. Whoever dies first, will the other one receive survivor benefits and will the survivor’s other federal benefits be reduced by how much they receive from the deceased? A: There wouldn’t be any reduction. You would be able to receive both your own annuity and the survivor benefit provided by your deceased spouse.
Q: I was employed as a GS-081 firefighter on Dec. 30, 1984, at age 20. I have met my retirement eligibility of 25 years. First, will my entire 26 or so years of experience be calculated at the special provision (firefighter) rate, or just the first 20? Second, I am in the process of taking a part-time position with the Transportation Security Administration: If I accept the job, I assume it will not affect my Federal Employees Retirement System benefits, as long as I do not leave the firefighter job, correct? Third, if I consider a full-time TSA position, would…
Q: I am covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System and plan to retire at age 56 (my minimum retirement age) with 34 years of service. I will have met the five-year qualification for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. I intend to keep a family FEHB plan in retirement to cover myself, my wife and my daughter. At my retirement, I will elect survivor benefits for my wife so she can continue to use my FEHB plan if I die before her. When I turn 65, my wife will be 56 and my daughter will be 19. I understand…
Q: I am a veteran who paid into Social Security while in service for seven years; I am now retired from federal service under the Civil Service Retirement System. Will I be entitled to Social Security payments? A: You will only be entitled to a Social Security benefit if you have earned 40 credits, which takes 10 years of covered earnings. Note: If you are eventually entitled to a Social Security benefit, you will be impacted by the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who is receiving an annuity from a retirement system in…
Q: Will the Labor Department/Mine Safety and Health Adminstration be taking part in the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority this year? A: We haven’t heard a thing.
Q: My 76-year-old mother got married last year to a 76-year-old man. After they got married, they were getting about $5,000 a month from his Civil Service Retirement System annuity and about $1,500 a month from her Social Security. Sadly, he had a massive heart attack two weeks ago and passed away. They had been married 11 months. This gentleman had told my mother that he had named her as the beneficiary of his survivor annuity and that she would receive about $3,000 a month if he died first. Will my mother’s $1,500-per-month Social Security be affected by this annuity?…