Q. Will I be able to receive survivor benefits based on my deceased husband’s Social Security benefit? I am a retired government employee.
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Q. I served in the Army from June 1975 to July 1978 (three years). I started working for the Postal Service in June 1985 for a total of 28.5 years. I have applied for disability retirement (FERS). I would like to buy back my military years, thus I requested the RI 20-97 and have sent it out with my DD-214 and am waiting. Can I buy these years now in the middle of this disability retirement process? If so, how would this delay or hurt the process?
Q. If a civil servant moves after retirement into an area with a higher locality pay (i.e., the rest of U.S. to the Boston area), do their retirement benefits adjust to meet the need of living in the new area?
Q. I am under CSRS Offset. I retired in 2009 at age 57 with 30 years of service, went back to work as a contractor and am still working. I have paid into Social Security for approximately 40 years. Will there be an offset in my retirement when I turn 62?
Q. I understand that the first 20 years for law enforcement officer annuity computations are as follows: .017 x your high-3 x 20 years. The remaining years would be computed using the standard formula: .01 x your high-3 x all years over 20. Are the annuity computations for LEO before taxes or after taxes?
Q. Does participating in the Flexible Spending Account affect your high-3 calculation? I put the maximum $5,000 in 2012 for my son’s braces. Does this reduce my annual pay for 2012 by $5,000 and reduce my high-3 pay?
Q. I am a GS-15 in the Department of the Air Force in San Antonio. My parent office in D.C. is relocating all field representatives (there are nine of us) back to the National Capital Region. I am 57½ years old and have more than 13 years of service. I know I am always eligible for MRA + 10 retirement, but do I have other options? If I can retire and not lose the 5 percent per year, I would seriously consider this. There is also a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority window still open to me, I believe.
Q. I recently received six months of credit for a Veterans Affairs Department internship I did in 1990-91, added to my service computation date. My federal job began in March 2008, but my SCD is now September 2007. I know that periods of nondeduction service performed on or after Jan. 1, 1989, aren’t creditable for retirement purposes. So what value, if any, does it have for my SCD to now be six months greater than my retirement SCD?
Q. I am 55 and worked 19 years with the Postal Service under FERS (from age 26 through 46). I have worked other jobs in the past and up through a few weeks ago. Can I start drawing my pension from the Postal Service? I realize it would be at a lower rate than if I waited until I was older.
Q. I’m a civil service employee. Is there a website where I can find out what my current high-3 amount is? I’ve read that high-3 is calculated using your highest 78 consecutive weeks of earnings. But, I’ve also read that it’s calculated using the highest three years. Is the high-3 calculated with earnings from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31? Or can it be any 78 consecutive weeks with no specific starting time — for example, May 2010 to May 2013?