Q. I am a CSRS employee. Upon retirement, I would like to know what minimum percentage/amount of survivor benefit has to be in effect for my husband to continue to receive health benefits if I pre-decease him. Does the annuity have to be enough to cover the premium? If so, what would happen if the insurance rates increased dramatically over time and the annuity no longer covered 100 percent of the premium? My husband is willing to provide a notarized “less than all” annuity base. The bottom line is that I want to carry only enough survivor benefit to ensure health…
Browsing: spouse benefits
Q. My husband was let go from civil service after 23 years of service. He worked from 1980 to 2003. He has since passed away. Did he have retirement benefits still available to him?
Q. I am a FERS retiree who postponed the receipt of my annuity. I want to start my annuity at age 62. With my current job, I have health benefits that I would like to continue until age 65. Must I elect for health insurance when I start the annuity, or can I pick up health insurance at age 65, at which time I would choose health insurance for both my husband and myself.
Q. How much leave will my CSRS wife be taxed on $15,000 of cashed-in leave? I am trying to project 2013 estimated tax payments. My wife retired and gets a Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay of $25,000 and — can you confirm? — about $7,000 will be withheld in tax.
Q. I worked in the civil service program for 34 years and retired in 1998. I named my wife as the survivor annuitant. In August 2005, she and I divorced. Even though the annuity was not mentioned in the divorce documents, I did not change the designation. Now I have been residing with a significant other for more than six years. I would like to marry this woman and name her as the annuitant for my federal retirement. With no mention of the annuity in the divorce documents, can I make this change? If so, and since I have continually…
Q. I am a retired federal employee (1999) under CSRS. I got married in March 2012. My wife has little income, so I would like to add her as a beneficiary to my annuity in case I die. Can this be done, and if so, what would be the costs and reductions in my present annuity?
Q. My father is receiving both a disability benefit and a monthly federal pension from CSRS. His wife is in a nursing home and has been on Medicaid since June 2011. Her Social Security is paid directly to the nursing home. She is given only a small amount and the nursing home keeps the remainder. If my father should pass before her, will the CSRS survivor annuity amount go directly to the nursing home, as well?
Q. My husband was killed in a motorcycle accident after working 16 years for the Department of Defense. I have been receiving a survivor’s annuity since his death. Is the annuity part of his retirement that he had accrued, or is this part of a death benefit? I received a death benefit at the time of his death. Is the annuity taxable income? Is the annuity his retirement that he had earned before his death?
Q. I’m trying to understand how my retirement income will be affected by the government pension offset and windfall elimination provision. I’m a CSRS Offset employee (55 years old) contemplating retirement in the next year with more than 32 years’ service. I also receive a monthly spousal annuity from my deceased wife’s CSRS service. I understand that when I turn 62, my own CSRS pension will be reduced by whatever Social Security amount I’m eligible for (should be more than 30 years of Social Security earnings), but I just read something indicating that my spousal annuity also might be reduced…
Q. I am 64 and have worked for the Transportation Security Administration for 2½ years. I would like to retire when I reach 65 next year when Medicare becomes available to me. But my wife is one year younger. Is there a COBRA system so she can be covered for the one year before her Medicare kicks in?