Q. I am a federal employee. I have five years of active Air Force time and have 9½ years of Active Guard Reserve time in the Air National Guard. All of my time is listed on my DD-214s. I have been told if the time is on a DD-214, it is good for civil service time if bought back. I have also been told that only the active Air Force time can be bought back and not the AGR time even though it is on a DD 214. What is the true story?
Browsing: Creditable service: FERS
Q. Our Postal Service plant is going through a transfer of function. Jobs are being offered out of the area. If I refuse a position, I want to postpone my annuity until age 60 with more than 28 years of service. I have been told by human resources that if I postpone, I will not receive the special retirement supplement. Also, I will not continue Federal Employees Health Benefits during my postponement because of cost out of pocket but restart FEHB once my annuity begins at 60. Is this all possible?
Q. Now that I’ve turned 65, I’m looking at FERS retirement from Farm Service Agency after 10 years in federal employment. But regarding carrying Federal Employees Health Benefits into retirement, I only have 2½ of the required five years in the plan to date. I had four more FEHB years in the plan under Rural Development, but the two periods were not consecutive. I understand a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority may be headed my way at FSA. VERA typically expands the eligibility for FEHB into retirement, but I don’t think I qualify for VERA, because they are seeking 20-year employees.…
Q. I am a 66-year-old FERS employee with 31 years of service and may be offered Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay in the next few weeks. 1. If I resign to get VSIP instead of retire, will I be eligible for unemployment benefits? 2. What is the timeline for date of departure once a decision is made? Next pay period? 30 days? Negotiable?
Every fall, readers ask me what the cost-of-living adjustment will be for CSRS and FERS retirees and Social Security beneficiaries. And they want to know where the numbers come from, who is eligible for a COLA, when are they effective, if they are prorated, and why they are sometimes different for CSRS and FERS retirees. Because of the government shutdown, it took a little longer than usual to find out that the what the 2014 COLA will be. It’s 1.5 percent. Not great, but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Where do the numbers come…
Q. My husband is planning to retire from the government under FERS at age 62 with 27 years. We have a health insurance family plan under his name. I started to work for the government almost four years ago. I am a part-time employee (about 48-50 hours per pay period). I will not be able to collect any pension for many years, and I do not plan to stay on the job after my husband retires, so no annuity for me. If my husband decides to retire earlier with a postponed retirement, it is my understanding that he will have…
Q. I’m 52, and military retired with 20 years of service. I’m a federal employee. Would it be possible for me to retire at age 56 if I buy back some or all of my active-duty years?
Q. I am a FERS employee who will be eligible for retirement in five years. My health insurance is covered under my husband, who works for the post office and is also a FERS employee. My husband will retire in four years. Will I be able to be covered under his Federal Employees Health Benefits after he retires, or do I need to sign up for my own FEHB? Because I am five years from retirement, do I need to have my own FEHB for five years?
Q. I am 75 years old and retiring from the federal government under FERS. I have Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage and Medicare Part A. Is it a requirement for me to sign up for Medicare Part B if I will keep FEHB, or is it just my option to sign up for Medicare Part B?
Q. If I have five years of service with the Transportation Security Administration and retire at 62. Will the government still pay part of my premiums? I am in FERS and will start my annuity.