Q: I receive a FERS annuity, military retirement and in four months will be eligible to receive Social Security at age 62. Will my Social Security be reduced due to the windfall elimination provision? A: No, the windfall elimination provision only applies to retirees who are receiving an annuity from a retirement system where they didn’t pay Social Security taxes, such as CSRS. Neither the military retirement system nor the FERS system fit that definition.
Q: We have a situation where management wants to force an employee on leave without pay because he cannot perform any duties as a result of a stroke. The employee has exhausted all accrued leave, but refuses to request leave without pay because he is two months short of completing 18 months of service so that he can apply for disability retirement. Do you know of any situation when management can force leave without pay upon an employee? We don’t think so, but we want to show the customer in writing. We have recommended that they place the employee on…
Q: I can retire at 55 with 32 years under CSRS in the Postal Service. I have worked part time all this time. Last year I was sent what my retirement would be based on retiring at that time. I will only get about $10,000 a year. My husband has been self-employed, but will become a full-time rural carrier after being a substitute for 18 years. He has checked with Social Security, and so far he could receive $2,000 a month. When he becomes a full-time carrier he will be in FERS. I know about the windfall elimination and all,…
Q: I am 58 with 34 years of service. I have 41 quarters of Social Security credits and my SSA annual statement says my benefit at 62 will be $538. What percent will my SSA benefit be reduced by my civil service monthly pension of $3,337? My friend at work claims that veterans who served between 1957 and 2001 get an extra $100 a month added to their Social Security benefit. Is this true? A: The only practical way to estimate what the reduction in your Social Security benefit is to plug your numbers into a computer program and see…
Q: I have several questions, but before I ask them let me provide some background. I am about to take a position as a new hire as a GS13 in September. I am 54 and plan to work until I am 62 or older. I have 16.8 years of military service which begun in May 1980. I took early retirement in January 1997 and draw military retired pay. I am a 90 percent disabled veteran and I receive VA disability compensation as result of what the VA considers a service-connected disability incurred in combat with an enemy of the U.S.…
Q: I’m asking this on behalf of my father. He is 66 years old and is not currently receiving any form of federal or civil service annuity, although I suspect be may be eligible for one. He served for four years in the active military (1962-1966) and nine years in the national guard (1967-76). He was a civil service employee for 21 years as well (1967-1988). He left his civil service job to take care of his ailing parents and never returned to a government job. He has never thought to investigate if he is eligible for some sort of…
Q: I am a 50-year-old civilian with no creditable service working at a DOE National Lab. A government agency may hire me. I have a very good private pension, and will incur a significant pension loss if I accept the government job. My question is: can excepted service agencies offer FERS creditable service as a recruitment incentive? A: No.
Q: My mother started with the U.S. Postal Service in 1974. Due to health issues, she retired on disability (not based on age or years of service) with her annuity commencing in September 1992. Her husband died in March and was receiving Social Security. When she applied for survivor benefits, it took almost three months for the Office of Personnel Managment to get back to Social Security and we were told even at that point they did not provide the information originally requested. Social Security made the decision that the survivor benefits fell under the windfall elimination provision. We are…
Q: I retired from a federal agency this year and accepted a buyout from my organization. I am not ready to stop working and need to continue working part-time. I know that I cannot seek employment with another federal agency or contractor within five years without having to repay the buyout money. Does this rule apply to all other jobs, like working for public school systems, the state offices of congressman and senators, or state government offices? What are my options for seeking employment? A: The repayment requirement applies to all federal jobs. It doesn’t apply to employment with state…
Q: My nephew has a term-hire job, and he just found out he will be deploying to Iraq soon. It looks like he will be leaving three weeks before the end of his contract. Will he be able to work those three weeks when he gets back? Also, it sounds like they were going to extend the contract, so would that mean he would also get that extension when he comes back? And, does a term hire get any paid military leave? A: When he goes on active duty, during those three weeks he will be on military leave, called…