Q. I came into federal service in 1995 with the Air Force (civilian). In May 2012, I began a Schedule A excepted service temporary appointment to the Army to serve in Afghanistan. The Air Force put me on leave without pay, and I have return rights and will return to my old position and location when this one-year assignment is done. I want to ensure that there is no break in service or other problem when it comes time to retire. Is there anything that I should do now to ensure that things don’t get messed up at retirement time?…
Browsing: creditable service
Q. I am 54 and have 24 years with the federal government. I will hit my 25-year mark in November, when I also turn 55. If early-outs are offered, will I be eligible to retire being that I won’t hit 25 years until after October? Also, prior to working for the federal government, I worked for five years with nonappropriated funds. I was originally told by human resources that those years would count toward my service computation. This year, I requested a retirement estimate from HR, and they say those five years don’t count. Is this correct? A. If you…
Q. I retired after 21 years in the Air Force as a Security Forces member. I recently started working for the federal government in a nonlaw enforcement position. Can my law enforcement time as a cop in the Air Force be used for the law enforcement retirement system? A. No.
Q. I retired Jan. 3 with 31 years of federal service. I just moved to North Carolina. Could you tell me if I have to pay state taxes for North Carolina? A. In North Carolina, annuities aren’t taxed beginning with 1998 if you had five years of creditable government service as of Aug. 12, 1989.
Q. I started a position with a federal agency in October 2010 and worked through July 2011 (about nine months) when I was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer and had to go on leave without pay. I was on LWOP for all of 2012. I am still on LWOP and a colleague suggested I apply for disability retirement. I started collecting Social Security disability in January 2012. Do I have enough creditable hours to meet the 18 months under the FERS disability retirement? Does collecting Social Security disability when I did affect my creditable-hours calculation? I also received several hundred…
Q. I will be RIF’ed on July 29 with 24 years and seven months of service. Do I qualify for a discontinued service retirement? How much will my annuity be reduced? I am 43 years of age. I am covered in a law enforcement officer position. Additionally, I have six months of sick leave. Can I use this time to meet the 25-year DSR time period for any age? A. You aren’t eligible for a discontinued service retirement. To be eligible for a DSR, you’d have to be age 50 with 20 years of service or any age with 25.…
Q. I have decided to retire June 1. I’m in CSRS Offset, will have 36½ years of actual service, and 2,200-plus hours of unused sick leave, for 37½ years of credited service time. This is my 35th year of credited Social Security earnings. I’m aware of the offset reduction. I’m a widower and my retirement forms have been sent in as such. If I were to remarry after the effective date of my retirement but before I were to receive the first full annuity payment, and sent in a revised retirement form, marriage certificate, beneficiary forms, etc., to the Office…
Q. My organization has been approved for Voluntary Early Retirement Authority. I am covered by FERS and will have 30 years creditable service May 24 at age 57. Am I still eligible to request a VERA after I have reached the 30-year mark? I also have two years of temporary service that I can buy back for approximately $2,500. What would be the monthly pension amount with 30 years versus 32 years, if I purchased the two years of temp time? A. Although you could accept a VERA, there wouldn’t be any point in doing that if you already have the…
Q. I was in the Air National Guard full time for 14 years. Now I work for the Postal Service and have been there 16 years. I bought back my military time and had the 30+ years funded. Then, I received a letter from USPS human resources that my military time was not federally creditable, and they returned my buyback money. The post office is saying I was paid by the state and not by the federal government. I really wanted to be a part of the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority this month, but this has become a mess. If…
Q. I served for 13 years and four months in the active-duty Air Force after graduating from a service academy. After taking a job in the airline industry, I continued serving in the Air Force Reserve for another 10 years. I turned 60 in March and started drawing reserve retirement pay in April. I am considering employment as a Federal Aviation Association air safety inspector when I retire from my airline job, perhaps this year. I’ve been told by a friend at the FAA that all of my active-duty time plus my time at the service academy will count toward…