Q. If I marry before I retire, will my new wife be entitled to my pension if we divorce? if so, can a prenuptial agreement protect my interest, or does the government override? A. If you marry while an employee, you are required by law to provide a survivor annuity for your spouse. If you marry after you retire, whether or not you provide a survivor annuity is up to you.
Q. I’m in the MRA+10 category. If I leave government and apply for a postponed annuity, when can I enroll in FEHB? And, if so, would it be only after receiving an annuity or only during Open Season? A. When you apply for your postponed annuity, let OPM know that you want to re-enroll in the FEHB program. Then when you annuity begins. so will your FEHB coverage.
Q. I quit the U.S. Postal Service after working 14 years for them. Am I entitled to any sort of pension from the USPS when I turn 62 or 65? A. Yes, if you didn’t ask for a refund of your retirement contributions when you left. Regardless of whether you were covered by CSRS or FERS, you could apply for an annuity at age 62. If you were covered by FERS, you could also apply for an annuity when you reach your minimum retirement age. MRAs range from 55 to 57, depending on your year of birth. However, if you…
Q. I am 46 with 23 years of service. I want to resign, take another career path, and apply for deferred retirement at 60. I want to make sure I handle the paperwork correctly. Will there be any paperwork when I resign to reflect my intent of filling for deferred retirement 14 years later? A. No, there won’t. All you’ll receive is a Standard Form 50 documenting your resignation.
Q. I’m considering resigning later this year at 54 with 14 years civil service (MRA is 56 years 2 months). I have a 20-year military retirement (retired 2004) and am considering paying the military deposit (estimate $20,000 or so). I also get $660 VA disability (40 percent) that equates to an additional $7,920 per year that wouldn’t be taken from a civilian annuity like it currently is from my military retirement. If I resign at 54 on a deferred retirement with 34 years creditable service (20 military plus 14 civilian) and don’t start taking the annuity until 60 (when it…
Q. I am a federal employee with 42 years of CSRS service. Will I be afforded the opportunity to receive Social Security benefits when I reach the age of 65? A. You would only be entitled to a Social Security benefit if you had worked outside the government and earned at least 40 Social Security credits. However, because you worked under CSRS – a retirement system where Social Security taxes weren’t deducted from your wages – you’d be subject to the windfall elimination provision of law. The WEP would reduce that benefit unless you had at least 30 years of…
Q. I am eligible to retire under CSRS with what is currently 37 years of service (SCD JUL 1982). I am still working and plan to for a couple of more years. However, I became eligible for full Social Security January 2019, for work employed outside of CSRS. Would my CSRS pension (when I retire) be reduced by this amount if I were to sign up for it or is it the Social Security amount that will be reduced or eliminated? A. If you have reached the age when you are eligible for a full Social Security benefit (between 65…
Q. My spouse is sick. I am 59 and have 19 years of service. Can I take early retirement and keep my health insurance and life insurance? A. Yes, you could retire under the MRA+10 provision and continue your health and life insurance coverage, as long as you had been enrolled in them for the five consecutive years before you retire. However, your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent for every year you were under age 62. Alternatively, you could ask your employer to let you work part-time and retire on a penalty-free annuity at age 60.
Q. I retired from the Navy Reserve with 39 years (9 active duty) and received a regular retirement check (over 60 years). I have a 60 percent service connected disability and receive VA disability pay. I am in FERS and will soon retire with 20 years service (bought back the 9 AD years). Will I be allowed to keep my military retirement pay, disability pay and FERS retirement pay? Also, will there be any impact to my full Social Security annuity when I turn 66 and 10 months? A. Yes, you’ll be able to receive reserve retired pay and your…
Q. I am a federal law enforcement retiree (I left service in 2015) and get my FERS annuity and special supplement. I was recently approved for Social Security Disability. Does SSDI affect my supplement, i.e., is it considered wages that count against the supplement limit on earnings? Will my FERS annuity be affected? A. Your special retirement supplement won’t be affected. That’s because only earnings from wages or self-employment can affect that benefit. Social Security Disability Insurance is neither.