Q. I resigned at 56 under FERS after 16 years. I plan on deferring annuity until full benefit at 62. Am I correct that if I take benefit between 57 and 61, I am not entitled to COLA? A. Yes. With the exception of law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers, the annuities of FERS retirees are not increased by COLAs until age 62.
Browsing: FERS
Q. At the end of my enlistment I will have 15 years active-duty service. Let’s say I switched to reserve component, landed a federal job under FERS, and made the deposit for my 15 years of active service. Would I still be eligible to retire from the reserves after five years (20 years total service)? Or will the deposit from active-duty time toward FERS render those years/points gone, in which case I’d still have to do 20 in the reserves? A. Making a deposit to get credit for your active-duty service would have no affect on your entitlement to reserve…
Q. I am currently under FERS with 20.5 years of service and am age 55. My MRA age is 56. Can I apply for the deferred retirement to age 62 before I resign? I realize I will not be eligible for the health and life insurance. A. No, you can’t. You can only resign from the government and later apply for a deferred retirement when you are eligible for that benefit, which would be age 60.
Q. I retired from the Navy Reserve with 39 years (9 active duty) and received a regular retirement check (over 60 years). I have a 60 percent service connected disability and receive VA disability pay. I am in FERS and will soon retire with 20 years service (bought back the 9 AD years). Will I be allowed to keep my military retirement pay, disability pay and FERS retirement pay? Also, will there be any impact to my full Social Security annuity when I turn 66 and 10 months? A. Yes, you’ll be able to receive reserve retired pay and your…
Q. I am a federal law enforcement retiree (I left service in 2015) and get my FERS annuity and special supplement. I was recently approved for Social Security Disability. Does SSDI affect my supplement, i.e., is it considered wages that count against the supplement limit on earnings? Will my FERS annuity be affected? A. Your special retirement supplement won’t be affected. That’s because only earnings from wages or self-employment can affect that benefit. Social Security Disability Insurance is neither.
Q. I resigned under FERS at age 52 with 30 years of service. Can I put in at age 56 and 2 months for collecting my retirement? A. If you were born in 1965, you would be entitled to an immediate unreduced annuity when you reach your minimum retirement age, which is age 56 and 2 months. Note: As a deferred annuitant, you wouldn’t be entitled to the special retirement supplement. Reg Jones is away until May 2. Daily posts of previously submitted questions will continue, while newer queries will be answered following his return.
Q. I’m a 62-year-old FERS retiree who is receiving a Social Security benefit. I’m thinking about taking a job in the private sector. How will that affect my Social Security benefit? A. If you are under full retirement age, your Social Security benefit will be reduced by $1 for every $2 in earnings that exceed the annual earnings limit, which is $17,640 in 2019. In the year when you reach your full retirement age, your benefit will be reduce by $1 for every $3 you earn over a different limit, which is $46,920 in 2019. Beginning in the month you…
Q. When a firefighter has mandatory retirement at age 57 and receives a FERS supplement, what happens when he turns 62?
Q. I was approved for FERS Disability Retirement in June 2016 and have been receiving my disability annuity ever since. What happens to my federal health benefit plan and dental plan when I turn age 62? Do the medical and dental convert to Medicare or does the coverage remain the same? If the plan remains the same, do the premiums change annually?
Q. My husband is a civil service employee with 25 years under FERS. Will his health insurance cost be the same when he retires?