Browsing: EMPLOYMENT

Q. My husband died suddenly. He had been away from work because of an illness for three weeks. Had he lived, which we expected, he would have gone on disability like his doctor recommended. He did not apply for that as his death came so suddenly — a week after he was told this. I am receiving a CSRS survivor benefit from his pension. However, if he had received it, it would be double. If he paid in all those years (37 at the U.S. Postal Service and three in the military), shouldn’t they be paying all of it out? Do they just get to keep half of…

Q. I am 54 years old and have been working for the U.S. Postal Service for 22 years as a city carrier. Am I eligible for retirement? What percentage of my pay will I be able to receive? A. No, you aren’t eligible to retire now. However, you could resign from the government and apply for a deferred annuity under the MRA+10 provision. If you did, your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent for every year (5/12 percent per month) you were under age 60. Your annuity would be based on your high-3 and years of service as a FERS employee when you left.…

Q. I am 53 years old, and I’ve worked with the U.S. Postal Service as a clerk for 31 years. I am thinking of retiring in one year. Would I be able to keep my health insurance until I’m eligible for Medicare? If I cannot, can I pay for my same policy through the Postal Service even though I am retired from it? How long would I be able to carry forward my same health plan? My main concern is my health insurance — I heard that you can pay an additional fee to keep your health insurance policy via the Postal Service.

Q. I was a federal retired disabled annuitant from Aug. 14, 2013 until May 31, 2015, when I was hired by the State Department after receiving a kidney transplant six months ago. The human resources department says the 20 months of disability retirement constitutes as a break in service; they have recalculated my previous Service Computation Date of July 17, 2000 to May 4, 2002. I was told by OPM that my disability does not count as a break in service. Is this accurate? If not can you direct me to the Fed Regs to dispute this? 

Q. I am a CSRS retiree of 33 years (I retired in January 2001), and since I am not married, I have no provision for spousal benefits should I die. I have worked part time for my church at 25 hours per week since 1999 and have been paying into the Social Security system from that time to the present. Will I be able to collect Social Security benefits without the WEP penalty? When would I be eligible to collect my benefits? I will be 69 years old in October 2015. How do I determine my benefits?

Q. I had 16 years of CSRS from 1980-1996. I left federal service in 1996 and took my money out. The amount to pay it back with interest is too much. I then returned to federal service in 2010 and have become part of CSRS Offset. I plan to work for 10 more years, which will give me 15 years of CSRS Offset. How much will my annuity be reduced by not paying back the 16 years of CSRS I had?

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