Q. I joined the National Guard in March 1981. I served with no breaks in service. I have deployed twice, May 2002- May 2003 (Title 10) and January 2007-May 2008 (Title 10). I also served active status from November 2008-present. I am currently on active duty (Title 32) and it could be possible that I may be found unfit to continue service due to heath issues. I may not return to my previous job because of the restrictions brought on by my recent health issues. I am worried I will not be able to provide for my family as I…
Browsing: disability
Q. On Jan 3, 2003, I sustained an on-the-job injury while I was working as a Special Agent. My surgery was delayed three months, forcing my leg to get worse and develop severe arthritis. Months later, I was advised by my doctor that due to my injury and the delay in treatment I would never be able to perform my old job again. I advised my superiors, who told me to put in for retirement just in case they could not place me in another federal job. Since the surgery, I have been forced to use a cane in order…
Q. I retired three years ago under CSRS Offset LEO. I had 20.5 years under CSRS offset, five years under regular CSRS, six years military time, which I brought back and paid Social Security. Additionally, I have contributed another three to four years to the Social Security system. During this time I had significant earnings. Due to my military injuries I have decided to go on Social Security Disability. I’m 53. Will my federal annuity be reduced? I have been told by several people that it won’t. What is the deal? A. Your CSRS annuity won’t be reduced until age…
Q. I retired under the early-out retirement program at CSRS; currently, I am working part time and paying in to Social Security. Am I eligible for Social Security disability? A. Putting aside the question of whether you are sufficiently disabled to meet the Social Security Administration’s stringent criteria for granting disability benefits, to even apply you would need to have a certain number of credits under Social Security, the number depending in large part on your age and the onset of your disability. For more information go to www.ssa.gov/retire2/credits3.htm.
Q. I am an Air Force civilian serving a three-year tour overseas, I have completed four years of government service as of March 20, 2010 and I am 41 years old. However, I suffered a serious spine injury in March 2009 ,which caused me to be on Leave Without Pay due to a work-related injury beginning in April 2009 to January 2010. Since I have been overseas during my convalescence, my housing allowance was misreported and reduced and my post allowance was eliminated. My personnel office calls this an “government incentive for employees to return to work.” Because I was…
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 retired at age 55 in 2005 under the FERS system. I had switched from civil service to FERS back in 1997, so a portion of my postal pension is that FERS supplement until I reach age 62. However, subsequent to my retirement I am 100 percent disabled and receive Social Security Disability. My question now is, when I reach age 62, my FERS supplement will cease and I will not get any increase in my pension, since I am already getting disability. Is this true? Will my postal pension under the civil service portion increase any after reaching…
Q. Does the FEHB offer an age extension for the coverage of disabled children? Do the rates increase when the child reaches age 22 and older? A. An unmarried dependent child may continue to receive coverage under your FEHB plan as along as the child’s incapacity began before age 22. For more information, go to www.opm.gov/insure/health/reference/handbook/fehb28.asp and click on Child Incapable of Self Support.
Q. I’d like to know if buying your military time back if you’re a disabled vet is the same process ? I’m told that if I’m not going to receive Social Security I still get credit and don’t have to buy it back. A. Because you were first hired as a civilian before Oct. 1, 1982, you will get credit for that period of active-duty service in determining your eligibility to retire and in your annuity computation, whether or not you make a deposit to the civilian retirement fund. However, if you retire and are eligible for a Social Security…
Q: If one is drawing a FERS annuity and receiving the special retirement supplement, how do any earnings in excess of the earnings limit get paid back to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund? Does one write a check at the end of the year? A: When your earnings in one year exceed the earnings limit, your special retirement supplement will be reduced in the following year. The reduction cannot be more that the total amount of SRS you received during the year when the excess earnings occurred.