Q: I received a federal disability pension in 1991. I retrained and was able to work until 2004, when the same condition worsened. I applied for Social Security disability benefits and received them beginning in 2008. I just received a notice that the federal civil service disability pension is considered a windfall. A calculation will be made with the windfall rule to reduce my Social Security disability. Is this discrimination against the disabled? Is there a way I can fight or protest this situation? A: Apparently you are subject to the windfall elimination provision, which applies to the Social Security…
Browsing: Windfall elimination provision
Q: I will be retiring in January with 31 years of federal service. I also have more than 40 quarters to qualify for Social Security. My wife will be applying for Social Security benefits when she turns 62 this January. When we retire, will she be able to collect her full Social Security benefit, and will I be able to collect my share of Social Security under the windfall elimination provision? A: She will be able to collect her full earned Social Security benefit. When you apply for a Social Security benefit, it will, as you pointed out, be subject…
Q: I will be retiring in May 2011 at age 55 with 34 years of service in the Civil Service Retirement System. Four years of that time is added on from my military time, for which I did not make a deposit. If I work enough, will I be able to collect Social Security at age 65, not at 62? I only have 23 Social Security credits right now. A: If you retire before age 62 and won’t eligible for a Social Security benefit at that age, your CSRS annuity won’t be affected. However, if you become eligible for a…
Q: I am a retiree under the Civil Service Retirement System. I had five years of military time which I did not make the deposit for and 26 years of federal service. I am not eligible for Social Security at this time. I have been told that if I return to work and qualify for Social Security, on my 62nd birthday my annuity will be recomputed and my five years of military service will be removed. Also, I was told my Social Security would be reduced to zero. Is all this true? A: The post-1956 military service rules are simple:…
Q: My husband worked for 13 years in the civil service and then left. He was a meat cutter WG-8 with the commissary system and that position was being phased out as well as the nearest bases to us being closed. He left the system in 1987 and applied at that time to receive his retirement contributions to use for retraining for another line of work. Since that time, he has worked as a tile contractor. Some years were good some were not. He will be 62 in a few months and went to the Social Security office to inquire…
Q: I recently read that the GPO/WEP repeal issue was tabled for 2010 and somehow attached to the health care bill. Do you have any current information on this? A: No action has been taken on that bill. And no, it didn’t get attached to the health care bill.
Q: I worked for the Postal Service for 15 years and resigned, but came back to work for them 13 months later. The year I came back, they were switching over to the Federal Employees Retirement System but I had the choice of FERS or the Civil Service Offset. I chose the offset and retired in 2003 with 35 years of service. I just turned 62, and I applied for Social Security and was told that my check will be adjusted from $865 down to $575 a month because I’m receiving a $2,500 Civil Service Offset annuity. Does this mean…
Q: My husband has contributed $60,370 to the Civil Service Retirement Fund. He was employed by the Postal Service from Jan. 26, 1980, to Dec. 19, 2007. After writing to the Office of Personnel Management for a possible refund, we were informed he’s eligible for deferred annuity at age 62. This year, he will be 57 years old. He will not be seeking another federal job. We don’t know if we should just ask for a refund and roll it over into an IRA or just wait for his deferred annuity when he’s 62 in 2015. Can you tell me…
Q. To figure how much the windfall elimination provision will affect one’s Social Security benefit, it is necessary to know the amount of the “noncovered pension.” How does one figure this amount? Is it simply a percentage? For example, if I worked 12 years as a CSRS employee (noncovered) and 24 years as a CSRS Offset employee covered by Social Security, is the noncovered portion of the CSRS pension simply 33 percent of the full pension or is there a more complication formula? A. I think you’re making hard work out of this. Your CSRS annuity will be calculated using…
Q. The windfall elimination provision and government pension offset are so difficult to understand. Can you help? My husband will soon be retiring at age 62 after 21 years under FERS. I am 52, but hope to leave service ahead of retirement. I currently have the following: * 52 quarters of substantial Social Security contributions, including three years under CSRS Offset. * Three years under CSRS Offset (2007-2009). * 12 years under FSPS (Pre-1983 Foreign Service Retirement system) (1982-1994). * Seven years under an international employer where I did not pay Social Security (1994-1999; 2005-2007) Can you help me determine…