Q. I will be retiring next year after 31 years from CSRS. I am not eligible for Social Security. Am I eligible for Medicare parts A and B at age 65? A. Yes, you are. You paid for Part A coverage through payroll deductions. You’ll also be eligible for Part B, for which you would have to pay the premiums.
Browsing: CSRS
Q. I retired at age 50 under the Federal Law Enforcement Retirement Provision. I had 32 years of government service. The service included active-duty military, years under CSRS and the last 5½ years under FERS. I paid back the military service. During the years under CSRS, I also served some of those years in the U.S. Army Reserve and paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. I always had enough credits to receive Social Security before switching to FERS. I also had no additional earned income since I retired. I have been receiving a Social Security Supplement Annuity. I understand…
Q. In returning to the USPS in 1987, I was placed in FERS. I had worked from 1980 to 1985 under CSRS. I withdrew all money at this time. I kept informing everyone in personnel that I could return to CSRS; no one would listen. In December 2005, I received a letter stating that I was placed in the wrong retirement. From 1987 to 2010, I paid into Social Security. They never changed the code until then they lost the paperwork. My husband died recently, and I am entitled to his Social Security when I am 59½. Is this subject…
Q. I graduated in the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y., Class of 1954. Recently a friend told me he thought academy time counted for Social Security calculations. I have been on several websites trying to search this out, including yours, but cannot find mention of the academy but have found mention of the four other service academies. Is Kings Point covered? If so, what reference should I cite for filing an amendment with Social Security? A. Service in the Merchant Marine, whether at the academy or on active duty, has never been considered creditable service for retirement under…
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 am currently retired (CSRS) and have single coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan. My spouse is still employed by the federal government (FERS) and has single coverage under FEHB. We were both under my family plan until our youngest child became ineligible. We then went to self-only plans because the premiums were less together than the family plan. She will be eligible for retirement in three years. She is also considering simply quitting before then and taking a deferred retirement when she is eligible. I am not covering her for spousal annuity, nor will she be covering me. We…
Q. I am a CSRS employee who plans to retire at the end of 2012 and plans to have 440 hours of annual leave, for which I wish to get paid in 2013 so it will be in my 2013 income. I understand that I could retire Dec. 29, which is the end of the 26th pay period, and receive this annual pay in my last paycheck, which I would receive Jan. 4, 2013. Can I retire Jan. 3 and still carry over my extra leave and get paid for that in the 27th paycheck, which would be issued Jan.…
Q. I worked from 1970 to 1984, then from 2005 to present (and still working) in the private sector. I worked for the Postal Service from July 1982 to December 2004, taking an early out with a reduced retirement annuity. I have worked 22 years for the Postal Service and 23 years in the private sector. I want to know what I will face when I begin to draw Social Security, which I hope to do in December 2015, when I’m 62. At this point, I will have worked only 26 years in the private sector. Am I correct in…
Q. I am 61 and a federal employee with FEPBLUE. My wife turned 65 last year and was enrolled in Medicare parts A and B paying the Part B out of her Social Security check. I recently took a CSRS retirement class that stated that Part B is a total waste of money because in our situation, Medicare is not only secondary to FEHB (which I knew), but Part B would pay nothing until it was primary. They advised us to cancel Part B until I retire because it is worthless until then. Please advise. A. The person who taught…
Q. I am a federal employee under CSRS and am considering retiring. I have 37 years of service and will be 59 this year. My husband was also CSRS, retired and passed away in 2000. I receive a survivor annuity from him under CSRS. Will my annuity from my husband decrease if I retire? A. No. You’ll be able to receive both without a reduction in either.