Q. I will soon be a CSRS retiree — no offset, no military service, just 30 years with the federal government. My wife has worked for many years in the private sector and is covered by Social security. If she dies before I do, will I receive her full Social Security or any of it? A. Any Social Security survivor benefit to which you are entitled would be affected by the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO would reduce that benefit by $2 for every $3 you receive in your CSRS annuity.
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Q. I will be retiring in February 2011 at 58 from CSRS as a GS-15 with 30 years of service. My wife is on Social Security Disability and will be 64. She currently has Medicare Part A but not Part B. We have Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield standard and also have long-term care insurance. When she went on disability, Blue Cross indicated that it would be the primary payer and Medicare secondary but that it would switch after I retired, with Medicare the primary for her. In researching the OPM Web page, it’s my understanding that she cannot be…
Q. I have a question about the CSRS system and the impact of my wife’s Social Security. I will be retiring in January 2011 with 40-plus years of federal government experience. I don’t have enough quarters to qualify for Social Security. My only Social Security quarters are from when I worked summer jobs back when I was in college before 1970. My wife will be applying for a reduced Social Security benefit when she turns 62 this July. Will her benefit be affected by my CSRS annuity or vice versa? A. Neither her Social Security benefit nor your CSRS annuity…
Q. I recently retired from the Postal Service under CSRS Offset and the Air Force Reserve. Upon retirement I had my postal retirement decreased due to the amount I was receiving from the military. This was done even with a deduction of pay going to my ex-wife. She is getting part of my military and postal retirement (plus $500). What are the rules that apply to these deductions? I also put in for early Social Security and that amount was also decreased as a windfall profit (whatever that means). What are the rules on that decrease? How can I change…
Q. What form would I use to get a refund or a CSRS overpayment. I am retiring as a LEO with 36 1/2 years service, 20 of which are under a covered position. And who do I send it to? A. Because you will have reached the 80 percent limit on your earned CSRS annuity, when your application for retirement is processed, OPM will send you a statement showing the amount of your excess contributions, and they will offer you a choice. You can either accept the excess contributions or use them to buy additional annuity, which is not subject…
Q. On March 16th you answered a question with information concerning OPM checking only once to see if you were eligible for Social Security. Would you please expound upon that statement and tell us how that would affect a CSRS employee? I am just a few quarters shy of having 40 quarters and wondering if it means I would be better off waiting until I am 62 before completing the 40 since I will retire from CSRS before I am 62. A. I think you are referring to what’s popularly referred to as “Catch-62.” If a CSRS retiree served on…
Q. I have recently retired under CSRS-Offset at 68 with 23 years of substantial earnings under Social Security. Before I retired I was receiving Social Security Survivors Benefits from my spouse work record in private industry. Will the windfall elimination provision affect the Survivors Benefit? A. The windfall elimination provision doesn’t apply to Social Security survivor benefits. The government pension offset does. However, because you were covered by CSRS Offset for at least five years, it doesn’t apply to you. Your survivor benefits won’t be affected.
Q. I currently have 34 years, starting under CSRS and switching over to FERS when that was offered (so about 10 years under CSRS). I plan on working another three years and retire when I am 57. I resigned after my first three years and withdrew my money. If I don’t pay this money back, what difference would that make in my retirement? How will they figure CSRS and FERS? A. Your CSRS component will be figured using the standard CSRS formula: 0.01 x your high-3 x 5 years of CSRS service, plus 0.0175 x your high-3 x five years…
Q. I am under CSRS –- 13 years on Capitol Hill and with no break in service 33 years in the Executive Branch. When do I reach 80 percent? My high-3 is $152,000. Also, I reside in the District of Columbia; what portion of my CSRS annuity is taxable? A. I’ll give you the formulas. You can do the math. Your congressional employee service will be computed as follows: 0.25 x your-high-3 x all years of congressional service. Your remaining service will be computed this way: 0.02 x your high-3 x all non-congressional CSRS service. To determine what the federal…
Q. My husband is retired from the Army and is now working as a FERS employee. Once he can retire at 62, does Social Security offset his military? I am medically retired under CSRS. Since I did not pay into Social Security, can I collect Social Security under my husband? A. Any Social Security benefit to which he would be entitled will be in addition to his military retired pay. That benefit will be based on his total years of Social Security-covered service. If he meets the age and service requirement to retire under FERS, based solely on his FERS…