Q. I am a retired foreign service officer and elected to keep my health insurance (Blue Cross/Blue Shield), for which I pay about $430 monthly. When I die, will my wife be able to continue with this coverage? At the same cost? Or less, as she’ll be the only one covered, as our kids are grown.
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Q. After working for approximately 11 years in the private sector and paying into Social Security, I joined the Foreign Service in March 1979. I resigned in July 1983 to get married and start a family. I got back the $4,000 I paid into my retirement. In June 1985, I rejoined the Foreign Service and because my original separation was for the purpose of marriage, I was brought back on at the same grade and step level I was at, my leave balances at the time of my separation were reinstated, and I continued to earn annual and sick leave at the same…
Q: I retired from the Foreign Service in 1995 after 27 years of service. Prior to that, I worked for 15 years as a merchant mariner, as a miner, and in the Navy. I paid into Social Security during all of this time. My Foreign Service pension derived from the “old” Foreign Service Disability and Retirement System (FSDRS). Why is it that my Social Security benefit was reduced by two-thirds, when my covered private sector and Navy employment had no relationship with my later career as a Foreign Service Officer? A: The law is clear. Anyone who receives a pension…
Q. I have served in the Marine Corps for 17 years, 10 active and seven reserve currently, but plan on serving 20 years total before I end my military service. I am transitioning into the State Department as a Foreign Service officer and had several questions concerning my retirement. 1. I plan on buying the credit for my military service. While active duty is straightforward to calculate, how do they credit my reserve time? Is it only active-duty days served while in a reserve billet? 2. Assuming they credit my 10 active years and some portion of my reserve time,…