Q: I understand that my FERS law enforcement retirement annuity will be determined by my consecutive high-3. How long do I have to work in a high locality pay area before I am eligible to receive that locality pay during my retirement? For example if I am a GS-13/Step 10 in a “Rest of US” locality pay area for two years, transfer to high locality pay area such as San Francisco (N/CA) as a GS-13/Step 10 for one year and then retire, will my high-3 be calculated as three years as a GS-13/Step 10 from the high locality pay area…
Q: I was told that if I retire from the USPS with 30 years of service but only at 59 1/2 years of age, I’m entitled to my FERS full retirement benefits as well as a 35 percent advanced payment from Social Security until I reach age 62, and then I will get the full amount by age 62. Is this true? A: No, it isn’t. It’s a garbled account of what the law provides. Because you will meet the age and service requirements to retire on an immediate annuity, in addition to your FERS annuity, you will receive a…
Q: I began working for the federal government in 1966, and in October 1972 I was no longer able to work and began receiving a CSRS disability annuity. At the time I was married, but that marriage ended in 1990. In 2000 I remarried at age 53. I never applied for Social Security disability. I worked and paid into Social Security for a few years, but because I was disabled, my earnings were extremely low. At my full retirement age of 66 my Social Security benefit would only be $257, and less than that if I applied for my benefit…
Q: I am trying to determine the best date to retire at the end of 2013. I want to maximize the amount of lump-sum leave I would be entitled to and also to take advantage of the new FERS sick leave policy. The pay period calendar shows that pay period 26 for 2013 begins Dec. 29, 2013, and ends Jan. 11, 2014. I plan to have my 240 hours of annual leave carry over and my earned leave for 2013 of 208 hours at the end of 2013, for a lump-sum payout of 448 hours. If I retire Jan. 10,…
Q: My compensation date is July 29, 1968. I worked under CSR for 30 years and upon advice from our human resources department, I switched to FERS to get the matching funds and TSP tax-deferred deductions (which were not available to CSR workers at the time). At the same time I earned 40 quarters under Social Security (I worked a full-time job for 10 years at the same time as I started with the government full time). I am in good health and do not plan on retiring immediately, but I’d like to plan ahead. Additionally I became disabled in…
Q: I am a recent federal retiree. I chose to keep basic life insurance only. I read there have been changes regarding election options for FEGLI as of Oct. 1, 2010. Does that mean I can now get Option C for my spouse after I dropped it when I retired? A: No.
Q: My husband and I are planning to retire from federal service the end of this year. I have 32 years under the CSRS and my husband is retiring under CSRS-Offset with 30 years of service. I have had no health issues so we have taken out additional life insurance on me to supplement him should I predecease him. However, he has had a number of recent illnesses causing life insurance to be more costly. Therefore, he plans to elect full survivor benefit for me. Can you please explain what impact the WEP and GPO will have on me drawing…
Q: I am a federal employee under FSRDS, the old foreign service retirement system, having been under CSRS from my 1979 employment date to my conversion to foreign service in 1989. I had active-duty military time that I purchased for federal retirement. In 1968 I had about three months of civil service time with the Air Force as a civilian employee, and the $100 or so withheld for CSRS retirement was refunded to me in either the late 1960s or early 1970s. That three month’s service appears to be included in my Service Computation Date adjustment, along with the active…
Q: My husband and I are both federal retiree annuitants and have always carried self-only policies. We have been acting as parents for our 16-year-old grandaughter for nine years but she has been on Medicaid. During the open season I plan to change my self-only enrollment to self and family and would like to include my husband and granddaughter on my plan. Would my death be an event that would allow him to re-enroll in a plan (self or family) that will allow him to continue FEHB coverage? If not, he would have to remain on a self-only policy while…
Q: I am CSRS and my plans are to retire Jan. 1. 2012. I was told that the last day for use/lose is Dec. 31, 2011, so that is the day I will have to retire. I cannot retire on Jan. 1, 2012, or I will use my use-or-lose leave. When I file taxes, will it show me receiving an additional amount of money (approximately $10,000) for the year 2011 (which will put me into a higher tax bracket), or will it show as income for 2012? A: Your lump-sum payment for unused annual leave will be taxable in the…