Q: I just received my military service deposit amount plus accrued interest on my military time. The deposit amount for my service from August 1968 to August 1972 was $896, with $3,330.43 in accrued interest, for a total of $4,226.43. The accrued interest seems awfully high. The interest accrual history runs from October 1986 ($103.88) to October 2009 ($166.22). A: I can’t tell whether the final number you got is correct. What I can tell you is that annual interest rates have been high after Dec. 31, 1984. Before that, they were a flat 3 percent. After that, market rates…

Q: I am a federal employee working under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I have served approximately 7.5 years on active military duty, either as an active-duty soldier or as a reservist activated under Title 10. I have bought back the 7.5 years of military time. In doing so, am I entitled to receive the equivalent of annual leave time that I would have received had I been employed with the federal government? If so, will it be calculated at a rate of four hours per pay period or the six hours that I am currently accruing? A: Accordng to…

Q: If I was in a law enforcement-covered position for eight years, then took a noncovered position for seven years, then moved back to a covered position, what time would count toward the LEO-covered retirement? I was told that as long as you had served three years in a covered position, you were vested and your service would continue in the special-category retirement as long as you had no break in federal service. A: As long as you are in a primary law enforcement position for the requisite period of time and have a total 20 years of covered service,…

Q: I will soon be accepting a GS-13 position with the Department of Homeland Security. I am retired military and understand the buyback system; my question pertains to leave accrual. How will leave accrual be determined if I choose (or choose not to) to buy back my military time? Also, I have two deployments for which I received an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Is that time automatically approved for leave accrual? A: Unless you make a deposit for your active-duty service and waive your military retired pay, you’d only get leave accrual credit for those periods of service when you…

Q: I resigned in 1994, withdrew my retirement of $20,000 from CSRS. At that time, my SCD was January 1974. Came back to civil service in 1996. At that time, I was given the choice of CSRS or FERS. I chose FERS. My SCD was recalculated to January 1977 with 10 years frozen service. I have two questions: Am I required to pay back the withdrawal in order for the 20 years (1974 to 1994) to count toward retirement? And what exactly is frozen service? Will it affect my retirement years? Right now,based on my SCD,I have 33 years. I’m…

Q: I am 56 with 28 years of service. I owe a deposit for two years of that service when I was under FICA (1979-80) and CSRS (1981-83). When I left, I withdrew my CSRS retirement funds. Will I have to make that deposit to get credit for that two years of service if I retire under a FERS Involuntary Discontinued Service Retirement? I am considering this option because I am newly disabled and can’t work a full day, but I’m not sure if I would qualify for FERS/SS Disability. A: As a FERS employee, the only way you can…

Q: I transferred to the inactive Naval Reserve in August 1994 with 20 years of service, and I still draw retirement from the Navy. I work for the U.S. Postal Service (under FERS) and I am eligible to retire from the Postal Service in August 2012 with approximately 15 years of service. I know of one individual who claims to have combined his retirement from the Air Force with his retirement from the FAA several years ago. He was Civil Service when he retired from the FAA. What are my options at retirement from the Postal Service? Is there a…

Q: I used to work for the U.S. Postal Service, first as a mail handler, clerk, then a letter carrier. I served for about 10 years. I am 55. What would I do to find out if I have benefits and how could I get them? A: If you didn’t take a refund of your retirement contributions when you left government, you would be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62. To apply for it, two months before you reach age 62, you’d need to complete OPM Form 1496A, Application for Deferred Retirement (available at http://opm.gov/froms/pdf_fill/opm1496a.pdf), and send it…

Q: My mother worked part-time for the Veterans Affairs Department, less than 30 hours a week, from 1986 to 1992. She was Grade 4. In 1992, she retired at age 63. No one ever mentioned the possibility of a FERS annuity. Is she eligible? She worked at least five calendar years. She is now 81. If she is eligible, would she be able to get the annuity back until 1992 when she retired? In a lump sum? How would she apply? A: The good news is that your mother will be eligible for a deferred annuity, which will be retroactive…

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