Q. You have stated that to calculate the high-3, OPM will consider only salaries from which the government has deducted retirement contributions. For which items will they not deduct the contributions? Social Security taxes? Medicare taxes? Medical, dental and vision insurance payments? Thrift plan payments? I think it is fraud when everywhere it is stated “average of three highest salaries” and the actual amount is way low. Nobody told me that’s how it is calculated. I was a title 38 physician and have retired under FERS, but I also have CSRS component. A. First, let’s clear the deck. There isn’t…
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Q. I am anticipating retiring Jan. 3 after almost 40 years of continuous service for the Veterans Affairs Department. I recall, many years ago, retirees electing withdrawal of their cumulative contributions to the retirement fund and receiving a minimum penalty in their annuity. I am unable to find anything online relating to this option and my human resources people say they’ve never heard of it. When did we lose this option? On that subject, my earnings and leave do not reflect the total amount that I have contributed to the retirement fund, but only the amount contributed since conversion to…
Q. When I turn 65, I can enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. The other parts do not interest me. At this time, I am enrolled in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan. I am a veteran who is 60 percent disabled, and the Veterans Affairs Department covers my medical needs at 100 percent plus meds if I use its facility. At age 65, I would like to suspend my FEHB plan and use Medicare Parts A and B plus my VA. Can I suspend my FEHB under this situation? A. No, you can’t.
Q. I enrolled in Federal Employees Health Benefits on April 26, 1987. Resigned March 21, 1992. Temporary appointment Aug. 26, 2001, to Oct. 19, 2002. Re-enrolled Nov. 3, 2002. Resigned Sept. 27, 2008. Temporary appointment, not eligible to enroll Dec. 7, 2008, to July 3, 2010. Re-enrolled July 18, 2010, until present. Had COBRA between enrollments. My human resources department says I should be able to continue health benefits into retirement if I work through June 20. I am planning on retiring in December. I know the Office of Personnel Management has the final say but wanted to know if this…
Q. I’ll be 65 this month. I retired from civil service in 2008. I’m working part time as a city employee and still paying into Medicare. My wife is 60 years old, and I want to keep her with my Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Since I qualify for free Part A, do I have to enroll with Medicare for this, and will my FEHB remain primary for my wife and me? A. Since you are still working, you don’t have to enroll in Medicare Part A. However, I can’t think of a good reason not to do so, even…
Q. My husband has 28 years and I have 27 years under FERS as civilians with the Defense Department (Air Force). My husband has been carrying Federal Employees Health Benefits insurance for our family for the past nine years. If he decides to retire early or prior to me, will he have to select an annuity for me so I would have health insurance coverage if he was to pass? I wouldn’t want to have to continue to work and carry insurance for five years prior to retiring if this is the case. A. He wouldn’t have to elect a…
Q. Why isn’t OPM publishing how much (percentage wise) of federal retirement annuities are to be withheld BEFORE an individual puts in for their retirement? I have found several other people who plan on retiring who had no idea how much may be withheld from their retirement annuities. It’s like everyone is keeping it a secret. We are all told to plan ahead of time for our retirements, but neither OPM nor personnel offices are telling people how much is going to be withheld from our annuities when we start asking for our retirement estimates. Considering the tidal wave of…
Q. I am retired and have Blue Cross/Blue Shield Basic for my health plan. I will be 65 in May and need to make a decision on whether I should get Part B when I have my current FEHB coverage. If I decide to take Part B, there will be another monthly cost. Is there any FEHB plan that would benefit me to enroll in and also keep the costs down if I decided to take Part B? This is confusing to me. A. It’s confusing to you because it’s confusing to everyone faced with that decision. Unfortunately, there isn’t…
Q. Is the pretax Federal Employees Health Benefits exclusion still available after retirement? A. No.
Q. My husband left federal employment at age 55 after seven years. He was covered under FERS. He is almost 63 and has applied for a deferred annuity. He is thinking of returning to federal employment. If he does so and receives health benefits, when he retires, can he carry those benefits into retirement? Must he be re-employed for a certain length of time to do this? A. He must be enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program for a total of five years to carry that coverage into retirement. If he was enrolled in the program on the…