Q. I am 58 and was a FERS employee at the USPS for 27 years. I have been on disability retirement for 10 months and am still receiving interim payments from OPM. My case has not been finalized. I am now found medically recovered by my doctor and have been released to return to work at the USPS. OPM has told me that I am eligible to return to work at the USPS. I retired as Postmaster EAS 18. OPM stated that I should find a job that I am interested in that is the same level that I retired…
Browsing: Disability retirement
Q. I am a 56-year-old retired military man. I have 10 years in with civil service. I have filed for military disability due to health problems associated with my military career. Can I draw 100 percent disability from the VA and file for disability from my civil service job and Social Security? If so, how does one calculate the resulting monthly payment? A. If you are approved for disability retirement, your annuity for the first 12 months would be 60 percent of your high-3, minus 100 percent of any Social Security disability benefit to which you are entitled. After that,…
Q. I was told that federal employees are not covered under temporary disability insurance. I was directed to different offices with negative results. I asked our CIVPAY office and was told that I have mandatory payroll deduction for Old Age Survivors and Disability Insurance for the past 28 years meant for disability insurance. I have submitted my disability retirement application to our civilian personnel Office at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, since December. I have depleted my personal savings and am experiencing financial hardship and I need help. Please direct me to the right office to apply for this temporary disability insurance…
Q. I am a CSRS employee and withdrew all pension contributions in 1995 after 15 years of service. No redeposit has been made. I now have another 15 years of continuous service since that withdrawal and I am now 57 years old. If a redeposit is not made: (1) Since I am over 55 with more than 30 years of service, can I receive a disability retirement if approved or must I take a regular retirement; and (2) what is the impact on the annuity for a disability retirement (assuming it would be authorized and approved), if no redeposit is…
Q: I lost my reserve position for medical reasons, through no fault of my own, on Aug. 27, 2010. I have been given one year to find another job. I will be 54 years old with 19.5 years of time in service by August 2011. What type of retirement would I be allowed: Discontinued service retirement or disability? A: Disability.
Q: I receive federal disability retirement from the U.S. Postal Service after 27 1/2 years of service. My disability was approved for anxiety and severe depression. During my postal career, I was a city letter carrier. I have an opportunity to take a job as a medical courier. Do you think this job will jeopardize my continuing to receive disability? The two jobs are a bit similar in nature, however the stress level of the new job would be far less. I do not want to jeopardize my disability in any way. There is no way I could ever return…
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement System dual-status federal technician in the Army National Guard. I am looking at a possible involuntary separation because of losing my dual status (nonmedical related) later this year. I am 45 years old with 12 years of federal service. Would I qualify for any type of involuntary separation/disability annuity payment? A: You would be eligible for disability retirement if you are separated due to a disability that disqualifies you from membership in a reserve component of the armed forces or from holding the military grade required for such employment; you aren’t appointed to…
Q: I was hired after 1983 to a nonmilitary position. I left federal employment with a 40 percent Federal Employees Retirement System disability annuity. I was recently approved for Social Security disability. It is my understanding that per Federal Law 5 U.S.C. 8452(a)(2) that my monthly FERS disability check will be reduced by 60 percent of my Social Security disability benefit. That doesn’t seem fair. Isn’t there a bill pending in Congress that repeals this? Do you know which bill I should refer to when I contact my Congressman? A: That’s the law and, to the best of my knowledge, no…
Q: I am a federal employee who will soon be going in for open-heart surgery. I am 58 years old and will be 59 in March. I have until I’m 60 to reach 20 years of service for early retirement. I am also a retired E-6. What would happen if the doctor after the operation says I can no longer work? Would I be given 100 percent disability of my base pay? A: As an employee under the Federal Employees Retirement System, if you were approved by the Office of Personnel Management for disability retirement, during the first 12 months…
Q: I’m 56 years old, which is my minimum retirement age, with 12 years of credible service. If I applied for disability retirement, would I receive benefits based on my years of service or the “60 percent first year, 40 percent thereafter” rule? If I would only receive the “high-3” times years of service calculation, what would be the advantage, if any, of disability retirement? A: Because you aren’t eligible for an immediate unreduced annuity, your benefit would be calculated under disability rules. You’d receive 60 percent of your high-3 minus 100 percent of any Social Security disability benefit to…