Q: I am a CSRS employee working for the Air Force and I have a question about military buyback. I was first employed by the federal government in 1975 and am eligible for retirement in September 2010 when I turn 55. From everything I’ve heard, when I become eligible for Social Security I will take a reduction in my annuity for my time in the military because I did not buy it back. A: Because you were first hired before Oct. 1, 1982, you’ll receive credit for your period of active duty military service when your annuity is computed. However,…
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Q: I was employed as a GS-9, then promoted to GS-11 for an eight-year period. I took some time off from civil service but I have recently been contacted and offered another position in civil service. I was active duty military for four years and during my first employment as a civil servant I did not buy back those four years of active duty military. Am I allowed to buy those four years of active duty back when I am reinstated into civil service? A: Yes.
Q: From January 1990 through August 1993, I was a Treasury Department adviser to Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance. During that tenure, I purchased credit in the retirement system for the three years of active duty in the Navy (1967-1970). So, I have something slightly in excess of 6.5 years in the system. I am now 67 years old and self-employed. My questions are the following: Do I have sufficient time in the Treasury Department’s retirement system to draw a monthly stipend? If so, who would I contact to start these benefits? If not, how much more time as a…
Q: I served in the Air Force from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, I joined the Air National Guard. I retired from the ANG in 1991 with 20 years of service, including the six active-duty years. In 1977, I also got a job with the federal government as a civilian employee under the Civil Service Retirement System. In 1986, I payed back my six years of active-duty military time to receive credit for them under CSRS. I am planning to retire in 2011 from the federal government with 40 years of creditable service in CSRS, including the six years bought…
Q: I was a federal employee for the better part of 1991-1997, during which time I made a deposit for a percentage of my base pay received during active-duty Army service that totaled $8,098.17. I then separated from civilian service and returned to active duty, where I remained until retirement in 2007. I am now a civilian employee again. I no longer intend to use my years of military service toward a civilian retirement. Is there any way I can have that deposit refunded, either now or when I retire as a civilian employee? A: You could only receive a…
Q: I am a GS-4, Step 10 employee under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I am 55 years old and want to know whether I can retire. I’ve done 22 years of federal service and have four years of military time (1973-76); I was told I need to buy back the time, but I don’t have the money they said it would cost me. I would like to retire early because of high blood pressure. My doctor told me it was caused by job stress. I was diagnosed by my doctor after I was hospitalized while on the job because…
Q: I am considering a civil service position and need help sorting out how my prior active-duty service may affect pay and retirement. I have 17 years of active-duty time; I took a lump-sum payout when I left. Is my time creditable toward seniority, pay and retirement if I take a civil service position? A: If you are hired into a civilian job in the federal government, you would need to make a deposit for your period of active-duty service to get credit for that time. While it would count in establishing your years of service, your annual leave accrual…
Q: I am a 58-year-old physician with 16 years of military service from 1978 to 1994. I am taking a job with the Veterans Affairs Department. In the benefits booklet I received, there is a note as follows: “Physicians and dentists covered under Title 38 provisions must complete 15 years of creditable service in order to use Physicians/Dentists Special Pay as basic pay in determining the high-3 average salary used in the computation of a [Federal Employees Retirement System] annuity. If I buy into FERS for my 16 years of military service, does this count toward “creditable service,” or is…
Q: I am a retiree under the Civil Service Retirement System. I had five years of military time which I did not make the deposit for and 26 years of federal service. I am not eligible for Social Security at this time. I have been told that if I return to work and qualify for Social Security, on my 62nd birthday my annuity will be recomputed and my five years of military service will be removed. Also, I was told my Social Security would be reduced to zero. Is all this true? A: The post-1956 military service rules are simple:…
Q: I understand that a military deposit has an effect on a person’s service computation date, Thrift Savings Plan funds and leave issues, but does it have any bearing on a new hire’s employment status? To clarify, will it change a person from “career conditional” to “career” if they have more than three years of military service? A: Making a deposit for active-duty service in the armed forces has no effect on a new hire’s employment status. As a rule, he must complete a probationary period and have three years of substantially continuous service to receive a career appointment.