Q: What is the exception for automatic coverage under the Federal Employees Retirement System for federal employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 1987, and for most employees hired after Dec. 31, 1983? A: There are number of exceptions to the automatic FERS coverage you referred to. To find out what they are, go to this handbook on the Office of Personnel Management website and scroll down to Section 10A1.3-5, entitled “FERS: Exclusions.”
Browsing: Creditable service: FERS
Q: I retired at age 52 under a Federal Employees Retirement System law enforcement (1811) retirement. I am now 55 and am employed. I generally understand the earnings test that will apply to my FERS supplement beginning the year I reach my minimum retirement age, but I am not clear how it is calculated the first year. I will reach my MRA in 2011 at the age of 56. Are my earnings for the entire year of 2011 calculated, or do they only calculate the earnings after I turn 56? I have not been able to get an answer from…
Q: I was hired after 1983 to a nonmilitary position. I left federal employment with a 40 percent Federal Employees Retirement System disability annuity. I was recently approved for Social Security disability. It is my understanding that per Federal Law 5 U.S.C. 8452(a)(2) that my monthly FERS disability check will be reduced by 60 percent of my Social Security disability benefit. That doesn’t seem fair. Isn’t there a bill pending in Congress that repeals this? Do you know which bill I should refer to when I contact my Congressman? A: That’s the law and, to the best of my knowledge, no…
Q: I am a federal employee who will soon be going in for open-heart surgery. I am 58 years old and will be 59 in March. I have until I’m 60 to reach 20 years of service for early retirement. I am also a retired E-6. What would happen if the doctor after the operation says I can no longer work? Would I be given 100 percent disability of my base pay? A: As an employee under the Federal Employees Retirement System, if you were approved by the Office of Personnel Management for disability retirement, during the first 12 months…
Q: I retired from the Army in 2007 and receive both military retirement pay and Veterans Affairs Department disability pay. I immediately went to work for the federal government under the Federal Employees Retirement System. When I retire from government employment, will I be paid all of the following: military retirement pay, VA disability pay, FERS retirement pay and Social Security benefits? A: Yes, you would be able to receive all four benefits. Just remember that your FERS retirement annuity would be based solely on your years of civilian service unless you chose to make a deposit for your years…
Q: If a 56-year-old Federal Employees Retirement System employee with 22 years of creditable service is involuntarily separated under a discontinued service retirement and takes the immediate annuity, does the annuity reduction of 2 percent per year for every year under age 62 apply? Does the employee also immediately qualify for the FERS annuity supplement? A: If you take a discontinued service retirement, you won’t be penalized 5 percent (not 2 percent) for every year you are under age 62. Further, because you have reached your minimum retirement age, you will be eligible to receive the special retirement supplement.
Q: Under the Federal Employees Retirement System, after 20 years, your annuity is figured at 0.011 percent of your high-3 salary average multiplied by your years of service. Below 20 years, the percentage used is 0.01. With the new law allowing 50 percent of unused sick time to be used for annuity calculations, can that time also be used to meet the 20-years-of-service criterion? A: Let’s first get the computational facts straight. The standard FERS formula is as follows: 0.01 x your high-3 x your years of creditable service. The 0.011 multiplier is only used if you retire at age…
Q: I know that I can draw my Federal Employees Retirement System annuity and my Social Security benefits. My question is, will my Social Security benefits be reduced if my annuity is more than the yearly limit of $1,480? A: The Social Security earnings limit only applies to earnings from wages or self-employment, not what you receive in your annuity. In 2010 and 2011, the earnings limit is $14,160.
Q: I am 70 years old. I was in the military for three years, from 1981 to 1984, then worked 2.5 years for the Army as a civilian. In 2009, I worked for a VA hospital for 16 months. While at the VA hospital, I bought in my military time. Do I have enough time to draw any retirement? Or, how much additional time would I need in the federal system? A: If you had at least 20 years of service, you would have been eligible for a deferred retirement at age 60; if at least five years of service…
Q: I have a question on returning back to work part time in a federal job. I retired in February 2004 from the Postal Service. I retired in the Federal Employees Retirement System. I am thinking of returning back to work with the Transportation Security Administration. If I do, will it affect or reduce my annuity and my supplemental allowance? A: Unless you are hired into a position that allows you to keep both your annuity and the full salary of your position, your new salary will be reduced by the amount of your annuity. Check before accepting the job.