Q. I started working for the government in 2008 and resigned for personal reasons this year. I was told by one representative at the Office of Personnel Management that because I vested more than three years, I am eligible for a refund of retirement I paid into FERS, as well as monies the government paid. I was then told by another rep that that is not true, that I can only get the money I invested into retirement. Can you please tell me which on is true? A. You can only get a refund of your retirement contributions. No one…
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Q. I hope to retire under CSRS at age 60. Will Medicare deductions continue to be taken from my CSRS pension checks when I retire? If so, will the deductions end when I turn 65 and am eligible to invoke Medicare coverage? A. Deductions for Medicare are only taken from earnings from wages or self-employment, not annuities.
Q. I have read that “If there is no spouse, former spouse, eligible child or some other insurable interest named to receive a survivor annuity upon the death of the FERS annuitant, then a lump sum of the employee’s contributions to the FERS Retirement and Disability Fund will be paid to the individual(s) entitled under the order of precedence.” The order of precedence is: designated beneficiary, widow/widower, children, parents, etc. Does this mean, if I haven’t named someone to receive my FERS annuity, upon my death, anything not paid to me while I was retired will be paid in a…
Q. I am a 44-year-old FERS employee with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. I am a GL employee with a 20-year retirement. I just went over 16 years of service and I have already bought back my military time of 7½ years. I realize the military time would be added to the “back end” of the retirement. I am considering leaving my federal job before the minimum retirement age of 50 to pursue other career opportunities in the private sector. At what age would I be eligible to receive my FERS retirement? A. Because your combined service adds up to at least 20…
Q: I was a former Merchant Marine cadet, and have been a Navy Reserve officer for eight years. I just started to work for the Federal Aviation Administration. I know the Civil Service/Federal Employees Retirement System handbook leaves out the Merchant Marine Academy as one of the academies eligible for military service credit, however, I have a “statement of service” in my Navy Reserve folder stating I was a midshipman in the Navy Reserve during those four years. The dates are also listed in my annual statement of service history. It does say that those dates are not creditable, but…