Q. I turned 65 in April and enrolled into Medicare Part A and B, for which I am paying $99.90 a month for Part B. I was subcontracted through an agency back to my former employer. They are taking Medicare tax out of my check, while I am enrolled into Medicare. Is there a way to have them stop taking the tax out of my paycheck or a tax credit? A. No.
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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 an EAS employee in FERS with 23 years of service at age 63. I have been enrolled self-only in the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan for 4½ years. Should I be terminated through a reduction in force, would I still be able to carry my coverage into retirement although I am short of the five-year enrollment requirement. I understand that there are certain exemptions to the five-year rule. I did not plan to retire until I reached 65. A. You’d receive a pre-approved waiver of the five-year requirement because you would meet the criteria: You were covered under…
Q. I’m a fed with 25 years of service. I’m 53 years old. Unfortunately, I’m having a lot of health issues. While I may be able to qualify for retirement disability, I prefer to try and hang on as long as I can in my job. Fortunately, I have a sympathetic employer that has allowed me to be off of work. I’ve lost all of my 2,000 hours of leave. If I take leave without pay or use the Family Leave Act, is there a minimum number of hours I must work to earn a year of service? If there…
Q. I am looking into medical retirement after 32 years with the federal fire department. At this time, the Air Force doc has not cleared me to work because of some prescription meds that I take on my off days. I’m going in for thumb surgery for arthritis. I also have lower back pain, and four vertebrae are not in the greatest health. I had Blue Cross/Blue Shield before, and when I got married, I dropped it because my wife’s medical insurance was better than mine. But she lost her job and is now disabled, too, and had to get BC/BS for the…
Q. I am a FERS employee with 31 years of creditable service but will not reach my minimum retirement age (56) until May 2013. I am faced with possible termination but plan to resign. I understand that deferred retirees are not eligible for supplemental annuity, nor are they eligible to enroll in life insurance and health benefits. What if I am terminated rather than resigning? Will I be eligible for immediate annuity plus supplement and eligible to enroll in health benefits? Or I will only be eligible for deferred retirement in 2013 after reaching my MRA? A. It won’t make any difference to…
Q. I just turned 65 and have already applied for Social Security at 64. I am covered by my 64-year-old wife’s Blue Cross/Blue Shield through her employer. She plans to work until age 70, and we will both be covered by BC/BS until that time. Should I refuse Medicare A and B for now until she retires at 70? What are the consequences? A. Enrollment in Medicare Part A is automatic unless you decline that coverage. And it’s not clear to me why you’d do that because you have already paid for it through payroll deductions while you were working…
Q. We have GEHA high option (Code 312) for our family. I just got the letter from Medicare about choosing Medicare Part B. However, even if I am on Medicare after retiring, my wife will have seven more years before being eligible for Medicare. Thus, I am considering continuing GEHA high for both of us and not taking Medicare B, since GEHA 312 covers expenses quite well and my wife would need health insurance. If I take Medicare B and drop GEHA, I would have Medicare A and B, but she would have no health insurance. Is the above correct?…
Q. I am three years and eight months younger than my wife. She had carried the insurance premium for both of us since 1976. I had to take up Blue Cross/Blue Shield this year myself, since Medicare is not a family plan. I plan to retire for health reasons on April 27, 2013, with 34 years of service, but I do not know if my Federal Employees Health Benefits plan will continue, due to the recent acquiring of my own plan. I was under her plan as a dependent for 35 years, but I am also a federal employee. If…
Q. I am nearing retirement from federal government and have not signed up for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program in more than 10 years. At the time I stopped my medical insurance coverage, who would have the paperwork indicating that the stoppage was suspended or completely removed with my enrollment? A. As an employee, you could only have enrolled in the FEHB program or canceled your enrollment. You could not have suspended it. A copy of that cancellation would have been provided to you at the time and a copy placed in your official personnel folder.