Q. I am over 50 with more than 20 years of service, but under my minimum retirement age of 56. If voluntary early retirement is offered, do I also receive the FERS annuity supplement if I am under 56? Does the supplement calculation also include years working in the private sector and also paying into Social Security during those years? A. If you retire under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, you won’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement until you reach you minimum retirement age. The SRS will be based solely on your time as a FERS employee.
Q. If I buy back my military time, will I maintain Tricare? I am a military retiree. Also, what is the reference for you answer. A. While I know that you won’t lose any other military benefits, including Tricare, if you make a deposit for your active-duty service (even if you have to waive your military retired pay), it’s only because I have been told that by countless retired members of the military who did that. As for a reference, because it is a military benefit, you’ll have to get it from the Defense Department. I only have access to…
Q. In your July 25 article, you stated: “By retiring at the end of a pay period, most of you will get paid for all your unused annual leave, including the so-called use-or-lose leave that you would have forfeited if you retired after the new leave year begins.” I thought we were paid for the lose-or-lose leave regardless of when we retire. Please explain. A:. Most of you do get paid for all your unused annual leave if you retire before the end of the leave year; however, if you are an employee of the U.S. Postal Service, the amount…
Q. In your July 25 column in Federal Times,“By the calendar, 2011 makes a good year to retire,” I don’t understand the very last paragraph, which says: “So, if you decide to retire, what can you do to assure that your retirement application will be processed smoothly and quickly? Make sure your application is complete and accurate.” My application? I have to fill out a retirement application? I never heard of that. I thought my Human Resources people had all that info and they have done my calculations even though I cannot retire yet. Please explain what is meant by…
Q. I have searched the Internet extensively and cannot find any statistics on what percentage of federal employees/retirees actually sign up for Medicare Part B coverage. Can you shed any light on this for me? A. No, I can’t. If any of you who read this have that information, let me know and I’ll share it.
Q. Do I count my FERS disability annuity as part of my 80 percent earnings or is it supplemental to the 80 percent I am allowed to earn prior to my retirement? A. You are limited to earnings from wages or self employment that don’t exceed 80 percent of the pay for your grade and step on the day you went on disability retirement. Other sources of income, such as your disability annuity, aren’t counted.
Q. I am about to retire from federal service. From 1969 to 1976, I served in the Air National Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve. When I joined the guard, I spent six months in training. Does that time count toward my federal service time? A. It does count if you were called to active duty. If it is creditable, it should be reflected in your service computation date. If it isn’t, you’ll need to check with your personnel office, which can get in touch with the Air National Guard to determine if the time is creditable.
Q. If I have 20 years of federal service but choose to leave at age 48 to work in the private sector, will I be eligible to receive my retirement at age 50 or will it be deferred until my minimum retirement age? A. You won’t be eligible for a deferred retirement until you reach your minimum retirement age. FYI: Deferred retirees aren’t eligible for the special retirement supplement nor are they able to re-enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits or Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance programs.
Q. I am a federal retiree who begins Medicare Part A coverage on Aug. 1. I am not taking Part B coverage, but I will be maintaining my FEHB health plan as a supplement. My question concerns coverage. Does having Medicare as my primary insurance result in my FEHB benefits for in-network providers being reduced? Specifically, if I paid a $20 co-pay in July for an in-network FEHB provider, will I now being paying more out-of-pocket in August for that same provider if Medicare, which does not have a network, is the primary and FEHB is the supplement? A. Check…
Q. I have been reading a great deal about how federal employees benefits and retirements will probably change through legislation to cut spending. Such changes may include changes to COLA calculations, averaging the high-5 and not the high-3, etc. Since the Postal Service is paid for through postal products, not tax dollars, will it be affected differently than the rest of the government? A. Only time and future legislation will give us an answer to that question. However, you need to remember that no matter where your funding comes from, most of your benefits are the ones found in Title…