Q: I will retire this year from FERS at age 67 with continuous FERS service from 1987-present. I retired from active military duty 1966-1987 and have received military retirement since (22 years active military followed by 25 years FERS). I do not want to make a deposit and do not want to combine credit into FERS. I can keep them separate and receive both, correct? A: Yes.
Q: I work in the area of law enforcement with the Bureau of Prisons. We have a mandatory requirement to retire at age 57. We are forced out without any rights to stay. My question is: Are we eligible for unemployment compensation benefits because we no longer have a job? Even though we are able to work and it is not our decision to leave. If so, how long are we allowed to claim unemployment benefits? A: While it’s unlikely that you’d qualify for unemployment compensation, such determinations are made by the state in which you reside. Once you have been…
Q: I am curious about Section 9902(h) of Title 5, United States Code. I retired Dec. 31, 2010, but I have since gone back to work part time as a contractor. I would like to go back full time as an annuitant but I am not sure of all the requirements. Can you give me all the criteria? A: The main requirements are simple. First, the position needs to be identified as a hard-to-fill position and be one that is critical to the accomplishment of the organization’s mission. Second, the candidate for the position has to have unique or specialized skills or unusual…
Q: Is a CSRS pension taxed on the initial full calculated pension amount or on the amount after reduction for survivor benefit (I realize there is further reduction of taxable income to account for my contributions throughout the years)? A: It’s based on the reduced amount, not the amount you would have been entitled to if you hadn’t elected a survivor annuity.
Q: I am under FERS. I had a break in service. I left service in 1987. I’m pretty sure I did not draw out any retirement contributions. How can I verify that I didn’t? A: Begin by looking at your service computation date. If it reflects you earlier period of service, then you have proof that you didn’t get a refund of your retirement contributions. If you haven’t been credited with that time and your official personnel folder doesn’t contain any information about your prior service, you can call the National Personnel Records Center at 314-801-9250.
Q: I had to take leave/terminate from my government job in February 2001. Unfortunately, I accepted money and my time from Feb. 25, 1991, to Feb. 23, 2001, was lost. It has been rumored that we can now buy back time such as this. With a service computation date of November 1987 and a retirement date of October 2010, that would give me a total of 22 years, 11 months. I’m willing to buy this time back and would like to know what agency deals with this. A: If you return to work for the federal government, you can redeposit…
Q: I have close to five years of service under CSRS. I took a refund. I also have about a year under FERS and took a refund of that when I quit. Now, I’m re-entering federal service. Can I buy back from both plans; total would be just more than five years. A: Because you had fewer than five years of CSRS service, when you returned you were automatically placed in FERS and that CSRS service became FERS service. If you come back to work again, you may make a redeposit and get credit for all that time under FERS…
Q: Is there a possibility of a buyout this year for postal workers in the clerk division. Members of the APWU? A: While anything is possible, we haven’t heard anything that suggests that it is probable.
Q: I am on disability retirement and the likelihood of returning to work is dim. I worked four years in a non-covered position. The next 14 years I was an 1811, special agent. The last 10 years I’ve been on disability retirement. The next eight years up to age 62 are likely to be disability retirement. In view of the above, how many years of service would I have? Do I receive the LEO 1.7 multiplier for the 14 years covered? A: All FERS disability annuities are calculated using the standard formula, with a multiplier of 0.01. At age 62…
Q: How does one go about searching and applying for “rehired annuitants” jobs? A: There isn’t any site dedicated to employment opportunities for annuitants. The best place to start looking for any federal job is http://usajobs.gov.