Q: I worked for IHS for five years under FERS. I left federal employment for four years and rolled by FERS pension into my new employer pension plan. I used my TSP funds to purchase those years of service. I have recently started back to work at IHS in the same position I left. Can I re-purchse those five years of federal service that I had rolled into the last employer pension? I took that pension and rolled it back into the TSP account already. So I no longer have retirement benefits with the previous employer. A: Yes, you can…
Browsing: Re-employment
Q: I plan to retire in 2011 under CSRS. There is a new part-time job in my postal facility which is 12 to 16 hours. Can I apply for this job after I retire? This is a permanent part-time position with benefits. Will this affect my CSRS retirement? Will I be covered under FERS? A: Your salary would be offset by the amount of your annuity. Therefore, in all likelihood, your annuity would be greater than the salary of a part-time position, which would mean that your salary would be zero. If you were rehired, you’d be a CSRS Offset…
Q: I am a formal Federal employee and was under the CSRS program, I had 27 years service and cashed out my funds in my CSRS account and I did not retire. I was a re-instatement status. I am now re-employed with the federal government again under the CSRS offset plan. Can I pay back the funds I cashed out? A: Assuming that you took a refund of your retirement contributions after February 28, 1991, you can redeposit that amount plus accrued interest and get full credit for that time in you annuity computation. Even if you didn’t you’d still…
Q: I am about to retire from the National Labor Relations Board. My agency has asked if I would perform hearings and other tasks that could not be accomplished by any local person due to specialized qualifications and experience. Is there a procedure for me to collect my full annuity and get paid by an hourly rate with no offsets or reductions? A: Your agency would have one of two avenues to pursue if it wants to bring you back on board and waive the normal offset to your annuity. It could ask the Office of Personnel Management to approve…
Q: I took an immediate retirement at age 51 under the law enforcement provision of CSRS with 30 years of service. Mandatory retirement is age 57. After one month, I returned to federal service in a term position as a re-employed annuitant with a dual compensation waiver (pension plus salary). My term position may expire in the next 12 months. Can I forgo my CSRS pension and compete for a law enforcement position again? Assuming the new position is a promotion over my last permanent position, would my CSRS pension be recalculated upon my final retirement? Would I be obligated…
Q: I worked for the Navy as a GS-11 for five years but left in 1991. I have an SF-50 that says “completed service requirement for Career Tenure from 07-17-88 to 07-17-91.” However, I actually started with the Navy on Aug. 28, 1986 and my resignation papers have an effective date of Sept. 24, 1991. I’m hoping to return to federal service but want to know if I am eligible for any future retirement benefits. A: If you completed at least five years of creditable service and didn’t take a refund of your retirement contributions in the retirement fund when…
Q: I am curious about Section 9902(h) of Title 5, United States Code. I retired Dec. 31, 2010, but I have since gone back to work part time as a contractor. I would like to go back full time as an annuitant but I am not sure of all the requirements. Can you give me all the criteria? A: The main requirements are simple. First, the position needs to be identified as a hard-to-fill position and be one that is critical to the accomplishment of the organization’s mission. Second, the candidate for the position has to have unique or specialized skills or unusual…
Q: I will retire from the federal probation system in July 2012 at the mandatory age of 57. Can I be hired by the TSA in a non-law enforcement position and continue to receive my federal retirement? If not, what will be the arrangement? A: In most cases, the salary of your new position would be offset by the amount of your annuity. If you worked for at least one year, you’d receive a supplemental annuity based on that service. If you worked for at least five years, your annuity would be recalculated as if you had never retired. On…
Q: If someone accepts a buyout, can they come back and work as a part-time contract employee? A: According to OPM, “An employee who receives a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment and later accepts employment for compensation with the Government of the United States within five years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VSIP to the agency that paid it — before the individual’s first day of re-employment.” You’d need to check with your agency to learn…
Q: I have 14 years 10 months of federal service under CSRS that ended in May 1993. I am returning to federal service later this year. Can I be reinstated under CSRS? Also, my “high three” likely will be based on my earnings from the new employment as it is at a higher level than when I left in 1993. How do I calculate my retirement? A: When you return to work for the government, you’ll be placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security) with the option of transferring to FERS. Your annuity will be calculated under the rules…