Q: I am a Vietnam vet and plan to apply for disability with the Veterans Affairs Department based on one of the illnesses caused by Agent Orange. I was in the Army for two years. I also plan to retire under the Civil Service Retirement System with 37 years of service in about 10 months. I am also eligible for a small Social Security check. If VA grants my service-related disability will my CSRS or Social Security check be reduced by the amount of the VA disability payment? A: No, neither payment would be reduced.
Browsing: Benefits
Q: I used to work for the U.S. Postal Service, first as a mail handler, clerk, then a letter carrier. I served for about 10 years. I am 55. What would I do to find out if I have benefits and how could I get them? A: If you didn’t take a refund of your retirement contributions when you left government, you would be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62. To apply for it, two months before you reach age 62, you’d need to complete OPM Form 1496A, Application for Deferred Retirement (available at http://opm.gov/froms/pdf_fill/opm1496a.pdf), and send it…
Q: My husband turns 65 next year and will be eligible for Medicare Part B. I am a federal employee, and he has been on my FEHB plan for years because he is on Social Security Disability. If I understand this correctly, if Medicare Part B will not pay for a procedure or doctor, then Blue Cross also will not pay. Do we even have to take Medicare Part B? I plan on keeping my Blue Cross after retirement. If we do not take Medicare Part B, will this affect my FEHB plan coverage. A: Medicare and your health benefits…
Q: My daughter turned 22 in March, so her insurance on my policy through the Defense Department (Blue Cross) expired. Since the new health care reform bill extends coverage to age 26, but does not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2011, how does that affect her? Can she be reinstated on Jan. 1st to our current health insurance coverage as she previously was? A: During the interim, she would be able to enroll as an individual under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage provision, for which she would pay 100 percent of the monthly premiums plus 2 percent for administrative…
Q: I retired under a medical retirement. I am married and got my Federal Employees Retirement System and Social Security Disability Insurance. If this combined income is not enough to live on, is it possible for me to apply for Supplemental Security Income for my spouse and myself? A: You can always apply for Supplemental Security Income. Whether your request would be approved depends on a number of factors. I suggest that you go to the Social Security Administration website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pub/11000.html and review the criteria. Information about how to apply for benefits is also provided on that site.
Q: I am a federal military technician that developed a “condition” while on military orders. The military is retiring me at 30 percent disability due to it occuring while on active-duty orders.OPM is retiring me under a special law provision for federal military technicians that lose their positions because of nonretainability in the military due to a commensurate condition .Will I be eligible to receive military retirement and federal technician special law retirement. I did not buy back my four years of active-duty service. A: You would be classified as having retired on disability from your military technician position. You…
Q: Suppose a CSRS employee has more than two months unused Annual Leave and plans to retire soon. I understand employees can get a lump sum payout for unused A/L. Yet it seemed one can alternatively request permission to take two months of A/L starting at the time he wants to quit and officially retire after spending the A/L. In that way, he sacrifices the lump sum payout to gain two extra months of service credit which boosts his CSRS pension. Self-calculations indicate that is a significant boost, but it seems most people opt for lump sum. So there may…
Q: I have completed three periods of military active duty. Each period was separated by years from the other two. I made a military deposit for two of the three periods. One source told me that this was not permissible; that if I didn’t buy back all periods, I would get a check back after retirement for the 2 I bought back, and would receive no military credit. Another employee told me that this was nonsense, and that it was my choice to buy back two of the three periods, and that I would get credit for the military time…
Q: I am covered by CSRS and my wife is covered by Social Security retirement. If she dies first, I would collect very little in survivor benefits from Social Security due to the offset rules. However, if I die first, are her Social Security benefits affected by my CSRS survivor benefits? Her projected Social Security pension is about $1,000 per month. My projected CSRS pension is about $6,000 per month. A: If you were to die first, she would be able to receive both a CSRS survivor annuity and her own Social Security benefit, with no reduction in either.
Q: My question is regarding Social Security supplements. I am a 50-year-old law enforcement officer who has met my 20 years of civilian government service. I know that when I am eligible to apply for Social Security benefits, I will be asked for proof of my military service (via DD 214). I am being told that if I give Social Security proof of my service at retirement time, I will get extra on my Social Security supplement in the meantime. Is there any truth to that? A: No. The special retirement supplement is based solely on a retiree’s total years…