Q: I am a civilian federal employee who started with the government in September 1986. Is it true that no retirement deductions were taken until Jan. 1, 1989? If this is true, how can I get credit for the two-plus years during which no deductions were taken? A: If you were hired into a position that required deductions from your pay, you would have been covered by Civil Service Retirement Offset (CSRS and Social Security) for the months preceding Jan. 1, 1987, when the Federal Employees Retirement System went online. Your CSRS Offset time would have been converted to FERS…
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Q: I am a retired postal annuitant on Medicare. I heard that letters were sent out in the spring inviting insurers to offer a health care supplement for people such as me, so that I don’t have to pay for a full-blown plan when I also have Medicare Parts A and B. I cannot find any insurers offering such a plan for 2011. Are there any plans being offered? Who offers them? Are there any fee-for-service insurers? A: I don’t know if OPM had any takers. We won’t know that until it makes its Federal Employees Health Benefits open season…
Q: I retired from the Navy after 20 years of service. I was on active duty for eight years and then on reserve active duty for 12. I am 47 and receiving retirement pay. Since I retired as a reserve (my DD 214 shows component/branch as “U.S. Navy-USNR”), can I buy back my time and put it toward my Federal Employees Retirement System retirement? A: You may make a deposit for any period(s) of active-duty service. If you do, that time will be used in determining your length or service and in your annuity calculation. Making a deposit for that…
Q: I’m in a 6C law enforcement covered position and will be reaching 20 years of service in that same position this coming January. I will be 46 years old. As soon as I reach 20 years, can I transfer out of the LE series to an administrative job (no 6C coverage) and still have my complete enhanced retirement benefits when I decide to retire 10 years from now? A: Yes, you can.
Q: I’m under the Federal Employees Retirement System and plan to retire at minimum retirement age (56) with less than 30 years of service. Is the 5 percent per year penalty based on each year short of 30 years, or is it based on each year short of age 62? I’ve seen it explained both ways. Also, is the actual penalty based on fractions (months) or whole years? A: If you retire under the MRA+10 provision (minimum retirement age with at least 10 years of service), your annuity will be reduced by 5 percent for every year (or 5/12 of…
Q: I worked for the federal government from 1968 to 1986, then worked in the private sector from 1987 to 2005. I withdrew my retirement money when I left government service. If I return to federal service, should I opt to be placed in the Federal Employees Retirement System or Civil Service Retirement System? I assume it would make sense to re-deposit the money I withdrew and pay the interest? A: If you returned to work for the government you would be placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security) with the option of transferring to FERS. Even if you…
Q: If I am going from a federal job to a state job, does my federal time carry over to the state retirement plan? I reside in Illinois. A: You’ll have to ask someone in your state employment office; however, the likelihood is that it doesn’t carry over.
Q: I have a situation with a Civil Service Retirement System retired employee who was charged and convicted of workers’ compensation fraud. Part of his plea agreement states that he must pay back over $100,000 in restitution. His defense attorney proposed in court that the government should attempt to get the entire amount paid to the courts utilizing the money that was paid into his pension, which is being paid out by the Office of Personnel Management. Is this possible? Can a retired employee petition or apply for large sums of money to be extracted from his retirement? We found…
Q: I have a situation with a Civil Service Retirement System retired employee who was charged and convicted of workers’ compensation fraud. Part of his plea agreement states that he must pay back over $100,000 in restitution. His defense attorney proposed in court that the government should attempt to get the entire amount paid to the courts utilizing the money that was paid into his pension, which is being paid out by the Office of Personnel Management. Is this possible? Can a retired employee petition or apply for large sums of money to be extracted from his retirement? We found…
Q: I have over 30 years of federal service — military plus civil service. From 1977 to 1990, I was under the Civil Service Retirement System. Then I took a 2 1/2-year break from federal employment. When I came back into civil service, I was put under the Federal Employees Retirement System. When I returned to civil service after the 2 1/2-year break, shouldn’t I have remained under CSRS instead of being placed under FERS? A: As a rule, when you returned to work for the government, you should have been placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security), with…