Q: I noticed the phrase used “partial survivor annuity” in one of your responses. What exactly is this? What are all the survivor annuity options? A: With a spouse’s written consent, a CSRS employee may elect a survivor annuity that ranges from as little as $1 a year to 55 percent of his or her annuity. A FERS employee only has two choices, 25 percent of 50 percent.
Browsing: CSRS
Q: I am a CSRS retiree. My husband is a public school teacher retiree from Missouri. I know I cannot draw from his Social Security benefits under any circumstance or he from mine, but will I be able to draw from his school retirement if he should die before me? Or will he be able to draw from my civil service if I should die first? He is on my health benefit and would need that if I should die first. We have both made allotments to each other and no one mentioned this when we were preparing retirement papers.…
Q: I have a question regarding reinstatement and retirement. I began my federal career in 1982 under CSRS, and separated from employment in 2003 under a buyout. I withdrew my CSRS contribution in a lump sum upon separating. I am now thinking seriously about going back to the government. I will repay the lump sum, but which retirement plan will I be under, CSRS or FERS? A: You will automatically be covered by CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security) with the option of electing to be covered by FERS. If you elect FERS, your prior CSRS service would become a…
Q: I am a 54-year-old federal employee with 32 years of service. I am under CSRS. I was an Air Force Reservist from April 1975 to June 1986. I know my weekend drills and summer camps are not eligible to be bought back. I was wondering if my initial six months of active duty for basic training and technical school is eligible. This would have been before my civil service start date of October 1978. A: As far as I can determine, active duty for basic training in the Air Force reserve is not considered to be creditable service.
Q: I have been hearing stories of OPM falling behind in the disbursement of full retirement checks. Is it backlogged on both CSRS and FERS or just FERS? I’m planning on retiring this year (CSRS) with 39 years, but I don’t want to have to drain my savings because they can’t get it right. A: All retirement applications were affected equally. While OPM has made significant strides in speeding up the process, and in providing a greater percentage of a retiree’s annuity in its interim payments, there is no way to know when things will be back to normal.
Q: I am a retired federal employee under CSRS. My wife is designated to receive a full retirement annuity upon my death (55 percent). We have two adult daughters. If my wife predeceases me, can I designate one or both of my daughters to receive the annuity that my wife would have received? A: No, you cannot. Only a current or former spouse would be eligible for a survivor annuity. However, if there are any retirement contributions you made that have not been returned to you in your annuity, they would be distributed either to those you designated as your…
Q: I will be retiring in June 2011 under CSRS with an annuity for my husband to cover health insurance. I have been covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Family Plan for my 35 years of service. My husband has always been employed in the private sector. After retiring, if I should die before him, would he be able to change from the family plan to self-only plan? A: Yes.
Q: I was employed as a civilian employee from 1979 to 1982 in which I was under the CSRS retirement system. My position was part of an RIF. I left the civilian service for a while and returned in 2001. Should I have been placed back under CSRS when I returned back to work as a civilian employee? A: No. You would have had to be covered by CSRS for five years for that to happen.
Q: Earlier in my federal career I worked part time (1989-1998), but I am now on a full-time schedule. Does the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 provision covering the calculation of annuity components apply only to employees who retire as a part-time employee or does it cover anyone who worked a part-time work schedule on or after April 7, 1986? A: The Defense Authorization Act of 2010 only changed the way the annuities are calculated for CSRS employees with a period or periods of part-time service or FERS employees with a CSRS component in their annuities. Now they are…
Q: I may become a re-employed annuitant for the FAA very soon. I retired six years ago from FAA as an air traffic control specialist after 23 years with a 50 percent CSRS annuity. Before I worked for FAA, I had three years of military service that I did not make a deposit for before retirement (since I was only going for the 50 percent minimum ATC retirement). If I comply with the supplemental annuity requirements (work full time, and deposit 7 percent of the unreduced salary for each year I work) and work for four or five years; will…