Q: In March 2012 I will be eligible for full military retirement. I am retired from the Army Reserve and will be 60 in March. I have BCBS. Is there an advantage to maintaining BCBS coverage rather than dropping it and going with Tricare, which would be less expensive? A: Many of those who are eligible for both an FEHB plan and Tricare elect to suspend – not drop – their FEHB coverage. If you were to drop it and then lost Tricare coverage, or found that changes in its structure and benefits made it less appealing, you wouldn’t be…
Q: I am a 47-year-old CSRS employee with 29 years of experience. I am thinking about applying for a position at another federal agency, but I am wondering if I would still be eligible for an early out as a new employee at another agency? A: Yes, if one were offered.
Q: My husband has four years active duty, 12 years as a reservist and 18 years as a civilian federal employee. He paid his military deposit in full. He was injured in a nonmilitary-related and noncivilian-related accident, and as a result the reserves put him on TDRL. Can he or will he have to waive his TDRL pay if he wants to use his military time to help him meet the years of service eligibility requirements for a civilian retirement? Or, does the fact he’s receiving TDRL pay prevent him from using his military service for civilian retirement purposes? A:…
Q: I started government service in 1973. I quit in 1985 and came back in 1986 as CSRS offset. I worked a second job from 1987 until the present. For many of these years my basis for Social Security was at or above the max. I retired from government service in 2009, and I receive the CSRS offset pension based on 32 years, and of course it is not being offset yet. I am still working that second job, and also, I am working full time as a contractor now. How much of my Social Security benefit will count to…
Q: If a person on CSRS disability retirement is under age 60 and his doctor believes he can return to work, can he return to the governement and maintain the same status as he was before he retired? Or will he have to start at the bottom like a new empoyee and start over just as if he had never worked? A: While you may be re-employed in any position for which you are qualified, the law doesn’t require that your former agency or any other agency offer you a position. If you are rehired, your prior service – but…
Q: Will the government windfall be adjusted? If I am forced out of the postal service, which I started in in 1980 and I am 52 years old, with only about 55 percent of my high-3 years (about $30,000 a year), this will not be enough for me to retire on. I will be forced to work at least part time, since I cannot collect Social Security. Without deducting 2/3 of my CSRS retirement, it seems I will be forced to work the rest of my life. This was not my plan. If we are forced to retire before we…
Q: I will have 29 years at the U.S. Postal Service, plus 2,200 hours of sick leave, three years in civil service and 27 under FERS in 2012. Am I eligible for the Social Security supplement at age 56? Does that decrease my FERS annuity or add to it? A: If you meet the age and service requirements to retire on an immediate annuity – in your case, your minimum retirement age plus 30 years of service – you’d receive the special retirement supplement. The SRS approximates the Social Security benefit you earned while employed under FERS, and is added…
Q: As A FERS law enforcement officer, I must retire at age 57. Am I eligible to receive unemployment benefits since it is not my decision to stop working, and I am forced to stop due to age requirements? A: Unlikely; however, the decision rests with your state unemployment office.
Q: I had some active-duty time for which I paid the deposit so it would count toward retirement after age 62. I had one period of 5 1/2 months that my local civilian personnel office said I didn’t have to make a deposit since I was on LWOP-US for this period. Even the CSRS Retirement Facts 3 dated October 1997 said the same thing. I received a letter from OPM shortly after I retired stating that since I didn’t make a deposit required under Public Law 97-253 for this time, my annuity will be recomputed to eliminate credit for this…
Q: How long can my current agency retain me when I have accepted a position with a different agency? I accepted a position at the same grade but at a different series. My new/gaining agency has requested a release date 17 days in the future, meaning I will remain with my current agency for the next full pay period. However, my current agency has requested that I remain in place for 31 days, which is two pay periods. This is unacceptable to me and is being done out of spite. An HR specialist in my current agency indicated that this…