Q: I voluntarily retired after 37 1/2 years with the Internal Revenue Service on Jan. 3, 2007, under the Civil Service Retirement System. From July 2007 to Dec. 6, 2009, I served as a contractor to the Health and Human Services Department. I was then hired as a full-time employee. Human resources made a mistake and did not offset my annuity until March 2010. As a result, this left me with only $38 in net pay and a debt of $15K because my salary was not offset. HHS wants me to continue to provide my services so they offered to…
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: As a federal civil service employee in the Defense Department, I usually have several days of use/lose annual leave at the end of the year. Rather than taking off almost the entire month of December to avoid losing accrued annual leave, am I allowed to sell back the unused leave? A: There is no provision in law that would allow you to be paid for unused annual leave that exceeds the carryover amount from one leave year to the next.
Q: For my spouse to continue to be covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program after I retire from federal service and after my death, which type of annuity should I select? My spouse does not want to receive a survivor annuity and will consent to sign an attachment to SF 2801-2, Spouse’s Consent to Survivor Election, but he needs the FEHB coverage. A: He can’t be covered under the FEHB program unless he is receiving a survivor annuity. However, as a Civil Service Retirement System employee, with your husband’s written consent, you could elect to give him any…
Q: I am working full time as a Coast Guard civilian. I have Mail Handler’s self-only medical insurance, but I am also covered by my wife’s medical insurance, which is what I really use. Her provider sent me a letter informing me that because she is retired and I’m turning 65 on April 28 that I need to sign up for Medicare Parts A and B to continue my coverage through them. I signed up with her insurance company as a single member and my wife changed her plan. Her former employer and her annuity will continue to pay for…
Q: I got hired in the Defense Department fire service as a GS 0099 student trainee (firefighter) in 2006. When I started I was scheduled to work a full 72-hour work week and was not restricted from any duties. All my retirement codes were “M” for special retirement. In 2009, most of the 0099 SF 50 codes were changed to “K,” but not all of them: Four of my SF 50s are still “M.” Does it matter the series number for special retirement? I need to know the proper code. A: It makes a tremendous difference. “M” is the code…
Q: I’m a U.S. Postal Service employee. For more than two years, I’ve been on periodic roll with the Labor Department. My physician’s report was disputed, and the Labor Department sent me to its physician. Eventually there was a referee physician picked by the Labor Department. The referee physician determined that I was unable to work until I had knee joint replacement. I’ve had five knee surgeries, four of them job-related, and at this time will not have the surgery. My question is, is it possible to be put on permanent periodic roll by the Labor Department, or do I…
Q: My husband and I are both Civil Service Retirement System Offset employees who will elect a survivor annuity. Can you explain how a CSRS Offset employee’s survivor annuity offset amount is calculated? A specific example would be helpful of how the offset amount is applied to a survivor annuity. When my husband begins getting Social Security, his annuity is estimated to be offset by about $800, mine by about $200. If I receive a survivor annuity upon his death, will my survivor annuity amount be reduced dollar for dollar by the full $800, or will my husband’s full annuity…
Q: I am a dual-status Army Reserve technician about to retire, and my Federal Employees Retirement System workers and I are confused as to whether we can receive both the Social Security supplement and our Army Reserve retirement money without deductions taken from either amount. For example, I will retire at age 56 under FERS, which qualifies me for a Social Security supplement of $1,045 until age 62. I also become eligible for the Army Reserve retirement check for about $1,500 at age 60. So far, no one can tell me whether we will lose part of our our supplement;…
Q: We are on the federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan, and our son will turn 22 evidently before the extension comes into effect. I understand that he gets a month of courtesy coverage, which would expire on Dec. 22. So, what do we do for the additional nine or 10 days to keep him covered? A: He will be offered an opportunity to continue his coverage under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage provision in the current law. The cost of that coverage would be 100 percent of the monthly premium, plus an additional 2 percent for administrative costs. Note: The…
Q: Is there any possibility of negotiating a higher level of annual leave accrual when accepting a permanent federal employment position, with no prior military or permanent federal civilian service? I understand new federal employees normally accrue four hours per pay period. However, I have been a contractor supporting this federal agency for more than 10 years, and I am interested in determining whether there is any precedent for negotiating a higher rate of annual leave accrual based on prior federal contractor employment. A: No, there isn’t. Leave accrual rates are set by law.