Q. I am planning to retire Feb. 21, 2014. I will be 60 years old and will have completed 10 years and one month of service. I am prepared to take the permanent reduction for being under age 62. 1. If a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay is offered at the time of my planned retirement, would I qualify for one or both? 2. I was told that if a VERA/VSIP is offered at the time of my retirement, I could approach my leadership and ask that the 10 percent reduction be waived. I believe this was because…
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Q. I’m a civil service employee covered by FERS. My agency is offering Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay. I am 62 and receiving military retired pay. I’ve been told that I’m not eligible for either VERA or VSIP because I’m receiving military retired pay. Is that true? A. Not that I’m aware of. According to the Office of Personnel Management: Employees in the following categories are not eligible for VSIP. Employees who: 1. Are re-employed annuitants; 2. Have a disability such that the individual is or would be eligible for disability retirement; 3. Have received a decision notice…
Q. Is Voluntary Early Retirement Authority offered to those who are already eligible to retire? Does VERA apply to your high-three calculation for retirement? A. It’s clear from your questions that you are asking about the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, not VERA. According to OPM, “The Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment Authority, also known as buyout authority, allows agencies that are downsizing or restructuring to offer employees lump-sum payments up to $25,000 as an incentive to voluntarily separate. When authorized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), an agency may offer VSIP to employees who are in surplus positions or have…
Q. I am 59 years old and will have 23 years of service under FERS with the federal government in January. If I decide to retire via Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay, will I take a penalty in my retirement pay? If so, at what percent would that be? Also, would I still receive the supplemental benefit if I leave? In filling out the form for VERA/VSIP, would I select the VSIP or VERA? Would I be eligible for the VSIP? A. If you were to accept an offer of early retirement, you wouldn’t be subject to the…
Q. I am a federal law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of CSRS service. I do not have 20 years of federal law enforcement coverage, a main reason I remain on duty. Would I be eligible for VERA or VSIP, and by participating, would I receive the 18 months I need to attain 20 years in a covered position? Twenty years of law enforcement coverage computes to 50 percent of my high-3 plus the remaining years. I need 18 months of additional law enforcement time on duty to be eligible for a law enforcement retirement calculation. Does VERA…
Q. I am 55 with 24 years, and I am in the CSRS/Offset system. I took a VSIP in 1994 but was told at the time it would not affect the calculation of my retirement when I was ready to retire. 1) How would I find out if the 1994 VSIP does affect my annuity? I received a lump sum of $14,000, and it included my retirement and annual leave. 2) Do I have to redeposit those retirement funds to receive full annuity? If I retire at 56 with 25 years, how will my retirement be penalized? 4) What is…
Q. I’m a CSRS employee with 34 years of service, but I am only 54. Thus I am not eligible for optional retirement. My agency has been talking about a possible VERA/VSIP, which would probably require leaving by the end of December at the latest. I would still be about six months too young for a normal optional retirement. I am fully aware of the 2 percent per year penalty for taking a VERA at 55. Is that penalty always rounded up to the full year, or at just six months early, would it be pro-rated to 1 percent? While…
Q. My agency is contemplating a buyout but wants everyone off the books by Dec. 31. I would think it would be beneficial to retire on a date that would roll any buyout payment and any annual leave lump sum into the following tax year, when income would be lower. Am I correct that retiring on Dec. 29 would place me on the annuity role in January, and my Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment buyout and annual leave lump sum would be 2013 income? A. Yes.
Q. I have eight years of federal service as a FERS employee and believe I qualify for a deferred annuity at age 62. Would I be eligible for a VSIP (if offered), and if I were to accept a VSIP to leave; would this affect my annuity beginning at age 62; and if so, how? A. Yes, you’d be eligible for a VSIP. And you’d be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62. The annuity would be calculated using the standard formula: 0.01 x your high-3 on the day you left x your years and full months of service…
Q. I’m a 52-year-old mail handler with 28 years of service. I still owe on my mortgage. I have enough equity to buy something smaller and pay most of it in full. Would I be eligible to retire now to take advantage of the $15,000 early-out being offered? A. Because you meet the age and service requirements for early voluntary retirement, you could do so if you were offered a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment.