Q. I am a CSRS federal employee. I have use-or-lose annual leave. I would like to take annual leave instead of sick leave for an upcoming surgery that will keep me out of work for two weeks. That way I can also save my sick leave toward my retirement (I am 54 years old, but do not plan on retiring for four more years). So, can I use my annual leave in place of sick in this situation? A. Yes, you can. Just let your supervisor know about the upcoming surgery and your preference to use annual leave instead of…
Q. If I retire at 60 with 20 years of service, and receive the supplemental annuity until age 62, am I then obligated to receive my Social Security benefits at 62 or can I pick up filing for benefits when I reach age 66? A. The special annuity supplement ends at age 62. When you apply for a Social Security benefit is up to you.
Q. I am 52 My plan is to retire at 56 (MRA). I will have 15 years of government service. I am retired from military service with 20 years and nine months of time. My plan is to combine my military and FERS time for approximately 36 years of service. My question is this: I am covered now under Tricare. Would I keep this benefit if I combine my FERS with military service? Or would I have to sign up for FEHB? I have been told that my Tricare counts as being signed up for FEHB but I would lose…
Q. I am a postal worker age 60 with 26 1/2 years of service under FERS. I recently developed a health problem that I feel may keep me from returning to work. Can I apply for disability with the Postal Service and not with Social Security? Also, the formula states that the first year would be 60 percent of high-3 minus 100 percent of Social Security. What exactly does that mean? A. As a FERS employee, if you apply for disability retirement you have to apply for Social Security disability benefits; otherwise OPM won’t process your claim. If you are…
Q. If I were to retire in 2012 with 24 years of service at age 56 under FERS, would I be eligible for an annuity supplement? I was informed by the Army Benefits Center that to be eligible for a retirement supplement I would have to be offered a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority from my organization. Is this correct? A. Yes, otherwise you would be retiring under the MRA+10 provision. Not only wouldn’t you get the special retirement supplement but your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent for every year you were under age 62.
Q. I worked as a congressional employee from 1974-1987. When I left, I took out the retirement contributions I had made. I am now returning to federal service in the executive branch. When my retirement is calculated, will I receive 2.5 percent for the 13 years as a congressional employee or will my retirement be calculated on the standard CSRS formula for the executive branch? A. While you will get credit for that time in determining your length of service and have the enhanced formula used to compute that portion of your annuity, if you don’t redeposit the refund of…
Q. I was injured on the job with the post office, and now I’m receiving workers’ compensation. Because on my injury, I will not return to work anytime soon. My questions is, I’m turning 65 this month and I’m thinking about applying for Social Security. Would this have an effect on either one as far as funds? A. Yes. If you receive workers’ compensation or other public disability benefits and Social Security disability benefits, the total amount of these benefits cannot exceed 80 percent of your average current earnings before you became disabled.
Q. I saw a recent post in which you correctly stated that an employee is not eligible for a VSIP if he previously received a VSIP. The OPM regulations do not appear to allow an exception to this rule even if an employee repaid the full amount of the VSIP because of a return to federal service. Am I reading the regulation correctly or is there an exception to the general rule that I could not find? A. No, there isn’t.
Q. I am a FERS employee who started with the post office in 1989. If I buy back my military time, which started in 1979 and continued through 1988, is this time counted as FERS or am I a FERS employee with a CSRS component. A That time would be credited under FERS. For your active-duty military service to be credited under CSRS, you would need to have completed a minimum of five years of actual CSRS service before Jan. 1, 1987.
Q. I took my retirement money in 1990 after 15 years of service. Now they want $40,000 to get that time back. If I pay $20,000, will the interest keep going up on the $40,000 or $20,000? I’m in the offset program; should I pay this back or not? A. Interest only accumulates on the unpaid balance. Whether you should redeposit that money is a financial decision, one that comes in the answers to two questions. First, how much more will you get in your annuity and for how long? Second, how much could you earn with the money if…