Q. Overview: I began in the Air Force Non-Appropriated Fund in 1996, enrolled in NAF retirement plan in 2000, ported to GS in 2005 with deferral of my NAF retirement (calculated at 5.27 yrs) and entered FERS. My current GS position will be abolished in 2014 (at nine years FERS). I have the potential of porting into a NAF position. I wish I had just retained NAF retirement, but lack of research and misguided human resources recommendations led me to where I am with a split retirement outlook. Given my FERS time will total only nine years at abolishment, if I move…
Browsing: Medicare
Q. I just turned 65 and retired from the federal government two years ago, with Federal Employees Health Benefits standard option Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance. I am teaching at a local university and have declined their health insurance policy because of my FEHB plan. Were I to enroll in Medicare Part B today, my pension plus university salary would require that I pay the highest premium rates for Medicare Part B. If I defer enrollment, I understand the 10 percent-per-deferred-year penalty I would pay. To avoid that, it might be worthwhile to enroll in Part B today. But if…
Q. I’m going to retire next year at age 66. I already have Medicare Part A. Do I need to buy Medicare Part B when I retire, or will my FEBblue Standard Option be enough? I was told by Social Security that I need both. Is that true?
Q. My husband retired from the federal government in 2012 under CSRS. We have been told by a retirement counselor that since he only has 14 quarters in Social Security, he is not eligible for Medicare Part B, though he is eligible for Medicare Part A. Is that true? If so, can he work to gain the additional quarters needed even if it is after he turns age 65, and then apply for Medicare Part B? I cannot find documentation anywhere to support the retirement counselor’s claim.
Q. I am a CSRS Offset, retired in 2008 with 30 years of service. I will turn 65 in September. I have several medical conditions that require long-term care. I was told by the Office of Personnel Management that I would have to give up my federal medical coverage and take Medicare. If that is the case, I would prefer to keep my federal medical coverage. What are my options? Can I refuse Medicare? And what are the repercussions of that decision?
Q. Recently, I have heard that if a person buys life insurance, he cannot earn Medicare benefits. Is it true?
Q. I am 74 years old, retired under CSRS and receiving about $1,900 per month after taxes and Medicare payments. My wife is 76 years old, retired under Social Security and receives about $290 per month after Medicare. Am I correct in the following assumptions: 1. The spouse of a Social Security retiree can receive a benefit amount up to 50 percent of what the retiree receives and not affect the retiree’s benefits. 2. The spouse of a CSRS retiree does not receive such a benefit. If I am correct, this example only helps to substantiate the idea the Congress…
Q. I am a retired federal employee, 63 years old with Blue Cross/Blue Shield standard option health insurance. When I start receiving Medicare in two years, should I keep the standard option or switch to basic option Blue Cross? What are the pros and cons of each when combined with Medicare?
Q. My husband is a retired federal employee. I am covered under his Care First, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal Employee Plan insurance. I will turn 65 in a few months and he is 66. Will we be able to get Medicare without his premiums increasing?
Q. I am 55 with 36 years of federal employment, including two one-year breaks in service. The last break was in 1985. I withdrew the funds I had paid into CSRS each time I broke service and have repaid a minimal amount of it. I thought I would be one of those people who worked forever; however, I have a progressively degenerative medical condition and likely will not be able to work more than another year at the most. I am totally ignorant about retirement and to what benefits I am entitled. For example, will my pension benefits be reduced…