Q. I moved to another base due to a base realignment and closure in 1994. I was told by my personnel office several years ago that it would be to my advantage to pay back my military time. So, trusting their advice, I paid it back. And because the interest accrued since 1986, the dollar amount tripled. I served in the Navy from 1974 to 1978. However, I attended a retirement class for CSRS employees and was told by the instructor I didn’t need to pay it back. I do not have 40 quarters and I will not be eligible…
Browsing: BRAC
Q. I was affected by base realignment and closure in 1995. My agency moved from Kettering, Ohio, to Columbus, more than 90 miles each way. Married with a child in school, I was not able to relocate. Incidentally, I was also on workers’ compensation at the time. I resigned due to work offered outside my commuting area but received workers’ comp for the next 13 years. In March 2009, I gained employment at another government agency (we moved to another state). The new agency doesn’t want to give me my full tenure toward retirement. It was always my belief that…
Q. I have been working in FERS for 10 years. In 2004, I was upgraded from GS-6 to GS-7 due to best practices. In June 2006, I was put on priority placement and RIF to another base in Texas because of BRAC. I am currently a GS-7 position, and my workload has been reduced due to some changes of the process. Could management reduce me to a GS-5 or a GS-6? Do I have any rights to appeal, or is this all determined by management? Is this stated in the Office of Personnel Management? A. Just as your position could be…
Q. Regarding the amount on each leave and earnings statement about my total CSRS contributions to date: My agency was BRACed in the 1990s, and I transferred to another. We were told at the time to keep track of our last LES from the old station as the retirement contribution amounts would not transfer on the LES. In the move, of course, I lost the old LES. At the new station, our pay system changed and we were told the same thing again. I noticed both times that the contribution amount was reset to zero. Is that information still true about the…
Q: Is there any regulation that prevents a BRAC-affected activity from offering Voluntary Early Retirement Authorities or buyouts? A: No, there isn’t any regulation that would prevent the offer of early retirement or buyouts; nor is there any requirement that they be offered.
Q: Next year, I will move out of my Base Closing and Realignment Commission-related job and take a new, non-BRAC job at a lower pay rate. Will my BRAC-restored leave be paid out at my rate of pay at time of payout, at my rate of pay just before/upon moving out of BRAC, or at the various rates of pay at which the leave was earned? A: It will be paid at the rate of pay you were earning on the date your position transfered.
Q: I have 33 years under the Civil Service Retirement System. Prior to that, I was with a private company and completed 32 quarters under Social Security. I will be 70 years old in June. My separation notice under the Base Closure and Realignment Act will be issued in June, and I will have to leave my job by Sept. 15. What are my best options to qualify for Social Security (40 quarters)? I understand there will be offset payments. Should I continue work two more years, finding another job after Sept. 15, and forget Social Security? A: You can…
Q: I am at an activity that was to be realigned and relocated from California to Virginia. The realignment was completed, and the relocation is in process. I will be relocating to Virginia in the first week of January, prior to the end of the leave year. Will my use-or-lose annual leave hours, as of my relocation date, be restored under 5 U.S.C. 6304(d)(3)? A: If you accompany your organization to its new duty location. you will receive a lump-sum payment for hours in excess of the 240 at the time of your move and will no longer be eligible…
Q: In previous responses, you indicated that when a lump-sum base closure and realignment payment is made, federal and state income taxes, as well as Medicare deductions, will come out of the payment. You also indicated Social Security deductions can be taken out. As a Civil Service Retirement System employee, I do not pay into Social Security. Does that mean that no CSRS retirement payments will be taken out? Also, the lump sum will be close to $80,000 and should be paid in my last paycheck; are there any limitations on payouts? A: Social Security deductions would only be made…
Q: Could you tell me if the payout on Base Closure and Realignment Leave and the payout for annual leave is the same? I was told that the BRAC payout is taxed at a higher rate. A. Both are taxed at the same rate. The IRS considers lump-sum payments to be regular income, with deductions being taken out for federal taxes and, where applicable, state taxes and Social Security.