Q: I understand that because I am a Civil Service Retirement System retiree, if my spouse should die I cannot get any of his Social Security. At one time I heard there was a law Congress was trying to pass to reverse this. Can you please explain this to me and let me know if there is anything being done about this law? A: Because you will be receiving an annuity from a retirement system in which you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, you will be subject to the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO will reduce any…
Q: My wife and I are both 30-year Civil Service Retirement System employees. We have attended several retirement seminars and hear differing views as to whether we should both choose full survivor benefits at time of retirement. Is there a general rule of thumb, or does it depend on what the surviving spouse feels they could live with? A: Let’s begin at the beginning. Both of you are required by law to provide a full survivor annuity to your spouse unless you agree in writing to provide less than that (or nothing at all). As you suspected, there is no…
Q: I am 65 years old and have applied for and expect to receive Federal Employees Retirement System disability retirement benefits. In October, I will turn 66 and will begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits. Will my FERS disability benefits be reduced by my SS retirement benefits? A: Because you are already age 62 or older, if you are approved for disability retirement and have fewer that 20 years of service, you’ll receive your earned annuity based on the standard FERS formula: 0.01 x your high-3 x your years and full months of service. If you have 20 or more…
Q: I have worked for the federal government since February 2008 when I was hired as a temporary employee. In September 2009, the job converted to permanent. Is there any way to buy back my temporary time so that I could reach career status sooner? A: No, there isn’t. You can’t make a deposit to get credit for any period of non-deduction service occurring on or after Jan. 1, 1989.
Q: I am considering a civil service position and need help sorting out how my prior active-duty service may affect pay and retirement. I have 17 years of active-duty time; I took a lump-sum payout when I left. Is my time creditable toward seniority, pay and retirement if I take a civil service position? A: If you are hired into a civilian job in the federal government, you would need to make a deposit for your period of active-duty service to get credit for that time. While it would count in establishing your years of service, your annual leave accrual…
Q: I was employed in temporary positions with the federal government from 1971 through 1986. During that period, I accumulated 10 full-time years of federal service during which I paid in only to Social Security because temporary federal employees were not allowed to partcipate in the Civil Service Retirement System. My first permanent federal appointment was in December 1986, at which time I enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System. My understanding is that for the approximately six years I worked prior to 1982, I will receive 90 percent of the CSRS annuity calculation without making a re-deposit. However, I…
Q: I am trying to help my dad find answers to a letter he received from the Social Security Administration which states that it is stopping his widower’s benefits after 13 years. He receives a government pension. He is given the option to appeal; does he have grounds, or is this a change in law that he must accept? A: Because you haven’t given me much to go on, I’m going to have to guess that your father’s Social Security survivor benefit was affected by the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO reduces that benefit for anyone who…
Q: If I retire with 30 years of federal service under the Federal Employees Retirement System at my minimum retirement age of 56 and I go back to work outside of the federal government, will I lose my Social Security supplement? A: If you exceed the Social Security earnings limit, your special retirement supplement will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn. In 2010, that limit is $14,160.
Q: I am under the Federal Employees Retirement System and work for the Defense Logistics Agency. I have worked at DLA since 1986 and worked for the Social Security Administration for two years before that. Two questions: What is the cutoff date for Civil Service Retirement System eligibility, and does my time working for SSA count toward FERS or CSRS? A: Because you were hired in 1984, you were covered by an interim system made up of CSRS and Social Security. Because you had not served at least five years under CSRS when the Federal Employees Retirement System became effective…
Q: I am a 58-year-old physician with 16 years of military service from 1978 to 1994. I am taking a job with the Veterans Affairs Department. In the benefits booklet I received, there is a note as follows: “Physicians and dentists covered under Title 38 provisions must complete 15 years of creditable service in order to use Physicians/Dentists Special Pay as basic pay in determining the high-3 average salary used in the computation of a [Federal Employees Retirement System] annuity. If I buy into FERS for my 16 years of military service, does this count toward “creditable service,” or is…