Q. I have worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 43 years. I retired in 2011 with a CSRS pension. Prior to USPS, and afterwards, I worked under Social Security. I believe I have the required 40 quarters. Will the Windfall Elimination Program affect my getting Social Security and how will it affect my pension? A. While the Windfall Elimination Provision will have no affect on your CSRS annuity, your Social Security benefit will be affected by it. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who is receiving an annuity from a retirement system – like CSRS –…
Browsing: RETIREMENT
Q. I am a GS-12 Step 10 and applied for a temporary promotion GS-14 (as I had been a GS-14 many years ago and took a 14-year break in service); it was posted as NTE 1-4 years. If after three or more years they do not make the position (six of them) permanent, and I have to return to my GS-12 Step 10 position, do the three years count as my high-3? I want to retire in five years and the high-3 is a big deciding factor. A. Your high-3 will be based on your highest three consecutive years of…
Q. If I go on annual leave for 30 days before I retire, is there an effect on my annuity? A. The more important question is this: “Can I go on annual leave for 30 days before I retire?” The answer to that question is no. The Comptroller General has ruled that employees may not take terminal leave. While your supervisor might approve your use of some periods of annual leave, he or she would need to schedule it so that it didn’t interfere with the needs of the government. Further, most agencies require that a retiring employee be at…
Q. I’m a FERS employee. Can I retire at age 53 with 25 years of service? A. No you can’t, unless your agency offers you that opportunity because it is undergoing substantial restructuring, reshaping, downsizing, a transfer of function, or reorganization. If they aren’t, you can always resign and apply for an unreduced annuity when you reach age 60. Or you could retire under the MRA+10 provision when you reach your minimum retirement age, which would be 56 and 4 months. However, in that case your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent per year (5/12ths of 1 percent per…
Q. I’m a GS employee and have made a deposit to get credit for 10 years of active duty. Would that deposit be refunded to me if I’m called back to active duty? A. No, it wouldn’t. That would only happen if you resigned from the government and asked for a refund of all your retirement contributions. However, if you did, you would void all future entitlement to a retirement annuity.
Q. I only paid part of my buy back for my military time and applied for deferred retirement from civil service in September 2018. I just got a letter from the Office of Management and Budget telling me that they have refunded my partial payment to get credit for my military time and that my claim was denied. Not counting my military time, I had 10½ years in civil service. Because I have been disabled for some time I have been receiving Social Security and I am 30 percent service-connected from the military, so I do receive a disability check…
Q. My mother is in her late 80s and needs daily assistance to manage. Is there a provision in law that would allow me to retire now to take care of her even though I’m only age 48 with 22 years of FERS service? A. No, there isn’t.
Q. I was employed in June 2011 as an Army civilian. I served 33 years in the Marine Corps, out of which 14 years or so were active duty. I was still in the reserves when I was employed and retired from the reserves on July 1, 2011. My service computation date was computed to 08/27/97 for leave. After attending one of your seminars, I checked the government retirement and benefits website and my SCD on GRB is the same as my leave date. According to the GRB website, I am eligible for voluntary retirement on Jan. 18, 2020. Problem is,…
Q. I’m a FERS employee who has already submitted his paperwork to retire. Now, I’ve changed my mind and want to move it to a later date. Can I do that? A. In most cases, changing your retirement date won’t be a problem. However, if your position is either being eliminated or your agency has already selected someone to fill your position, it can refuse your request. The reason for its refusal will have to be given to you in writing.
Q. I’m planning to retire in a year and was told that I need to have a copy of the designated beneficiary form for life insurance, the TSP, survivor annuity and unused leave. What forms do I need to complete? A. You filled out those forms when you were first hired. What you need to do now is check to see if the designations of beneficiary you made then are the ones you want now. To find out, go to your personnel office and ask to see your official personnel folder (OPF). If changes are needed, you can go to…