Q. I retired from the Veterans Affairs Department two years ago after 35 years of service. My service was interrupted for several years and, when I came back, it was under the CSRS Offset plan. I will turn 62 in October, but I do not want to start drawing my Social Security at that time. Will my retirement check be cut (the offset amount) even if I do not choose to start drawing my Social Security? A. The law is clear. When you become eligible for a Social Security benefit at age 62, your CSRS annuity will be reduced by…
Browsing: break in service
Q. I have been working for the federal government for just over two years. I am planning on moving in the next few months. I have applied to federal jobs, as well as private-sector jobs and have, so far, heard back from the private-sector jobs. I read that the Thrift Savings Plan is vested at three years and that employees are entitled to retirement benefits after five years. If I were to leave the federal system at this point, would I be able to return to the system in the future and “restart,” as it were, at my two-year mark?…
Q. I am 59 years old. I worked for the federal government from August 1978 to January 1981, had a break in service, then started over again in May 1982 until Dec. 31, 1999, with the Panama Canal Commission. Am I eligible for deferred annuity? A. If you left your contributions in the retirement fund, you may be entitled to a deferred annuity at age 62. To find out, during the year in which you will turn 62, go to www.opm.gov and click on Find Form(s). Open up and complete Standard Form 2801, Application for Immediate Retirement, and send it…
Q. I retired from federal service after 26 years. I became a rehired annuitant with a waiver for several years and could not participate in any retirement service. I am now returning to federal service without a waiver and without a break in service knowing my income will be reduced by my retirement annuity. Will I return to CSRS or FERS retirement system in this new capacity? If I stay for more than one year, will my final retirement annuity be refigured? A. You will be placed in CSRS, the retirement system from which you retired, with the option of…
Q. I am retired military with 24 total years of service (seven years active duty and 17 in the Air National Guard). I work in the civil service corps of the federal government, 21 years. In three years at age 60, I will start receiving my military retirement checks. If I buy back my seven years of active-duty time, will that void my military retirement pay and benefits? If I decide to buy back only four years, retaining 20 years of military service, will I lose any retirement benefits? A. If you make a deposit for your active duty-service, it won’t have…
Q. I worked 20 years and two months in a covered firefighter position. I then worked two years in a non-covered position. I have returned to a secondary covered position. Do I face mandatory retirement? Or does my break in service allow me to work past 57? Where would I find the answer in the federal regulations or is this decided by case history. A. Yes, you will face mandatory retirement. Go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C046.pdf and scroll down to Section 46A3.3-2B1, which applies to both CSRS and FERS LEOs and firefighters. Note: That section hasn’t been updated to show that the…
Q. I’ve been getting mixed messages about whether service at the armed forces military academies is creditable for annual leave accrual purposes. I’ve read Q&As on your site that say it is, but my human resources people say that it isn’t. Who’s right? A. According to the Office of Personnel Management: “Section 1115 of the NDAA for FY 2008 is the applicable provision of law that explicitly makes academy service time creditable for retirement — and therefore for annual leave accrual purposes. “Section 1115 of the NDAA amended title 5 United States Code so that it explicitly made academy service time creditable toward retirement…
Q. Can my NAF time be creditable toward my service computation date if I had a break in service longer than a year? A. No.
Q. I am not a disability retiree, but I was planning to apply for disability retirement. However, I may be offered a VSIP. Also, I have been out on medical leave now for about six months but don’t know if I am officially classified as disabled. Is this break in service going to be counted against me? Would I be eligible for the VSIP at this point? I was going to apply for reasonable accommodation and disability retirement, but now I am afraid to. A. According to the Office of Personnel Management, you would not be eligible for a voluntary separation incentive payment if you have…
Q. My husband was in the Naval Reserve from June 1971 to June 1976. He was not called to active duty, although I believe the two weeks of training every year and six months of boot camp/school may be classified as active duty. If that’s correct, he had about 36 weeks of active duty subject to buyback. For his six years in the reserve, he was paid a grand total of $2,165.45, according to military records he has in his file. He was under CSRS but had a brief break in service in 1987 and came back into the federal…