Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement Service employee and bought back many years of military service. Since Sept. 11, 2001, I have been called back to active service enough times to get an immediate military retirement (22 years) as a reservist. What will this do to my FERS retirement? I have paid all my military time in FERS. A: It won’t make a difference. You’ll be able to receive both your FERS annuity and reserved retired pay with no reduction in either.
Browsing: military buyback
Q: I began working in the federal government in August 2008. I am currently buying back 13 years of military service: nine years in the Marine Corps and four years at the Naval Academy. I understand once I complete the military service buy-back I will have 13 years added to my creditable service date for retirement purposes. My leave service computation date currently reflects the nine years of Marine Corps service plus my 1.5 years as civilian employee. As a result, I am earning six hours of leave per pay period. I questioned my human resources department as to why…
Q: I am a federal employee with 10 years active-duty time that I have almost finished buying back. I am also in the National Guard and I have just been offered a full-time Active Guard reserve position. Since I will leave federal service to return to active duty (Guard), can I get the money back that I have contributed to buying back my active-duty time? A: You can get a refund of your military deposit only if you: 1) resign from the government before you are eligible to retire and 2) receive a refund of all your contributions to the…
Q: I am a federal military technician that developed a “condition” while on military orders. The military is retiring me at 30 percent disability due to it occuring while on active-duty orders.OPM is retiring me under a special law provision for federal military technicians that lose their positions because of nonretainability in the military due to a commensurate condition .Will I be eligible to receive military retirement and federal technician special law retirement. I did not buy back my four years of active-duty service. A: You would be classified as having retired on disability from your military technician position. You…
Q: I am a federal firefighter (GS-0081). Prior to entering federal civilian service, I was on active duty in the Army for seven years and I am currently a National Guardsman. I will retire from the National Guard in three years. If I choose to buy back the seven years of active-duty time for my Federal Employees Retirement System retirement, will I have to forfeit the National Guard retirement or that portion of the National Guard retirement? A: No — if you make a deposit for your active-duty time, you won’t have to forfeit any part of your National Guard…
Q: I have 15 years and 11 months military time, which I have bought back. I also have 3.5 years with the VA. Our human resources office says that I must have at least five years of civilian service in order to retire. The only reference to any kind of five-year rule I can find on the Office of Personnel Managment Web site only applies to those transferring from the Civil Service Retirement System to the Federal Employees Retirement System. I know there is a 5-percent penalty per year for every year under 62. I have several medical issues and…
Q: I am under the Federal Employees Retirement System and currently have 8-plus years of federal service in a covered position (1811, with an age waiver). I am 52 years old. I would be 63 when I retire under the special provisions for law enforcement employees. I retired from military with 20 years of service and plan to “buy back” my military time for FERS retirement purposes. After I buy back my military time, and if I decide to retire with only 15 years of federal service (approximately eight years from now; I will be 60 at the time and…
Q: I served in the military from 1978 to 1989 and was medically retired, receiving military pay. I started working for the federal government in 1992 and am set to retire in 2012 under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I didn’t pay back my military time. Is it true that I will be able to retire in 2012, and what benefit would I have if I paid back my military time? A: With 20 years of FERS service, you would only be able to retire on an immediate, unreduced annuity if you were age 60 or older. If you had…
Q: I had 6.8 years of my military service used in determining my service computation date (SCD) of March 4, 1987. As a reserve officer on active duty, I retired after 32 years of service (National Guard, Army Reserve, Active Guard Reserve combined). I retired in March 1993 and began work as a Federal Employees Retirement System employee in November of the same year. I am wanting to retire July 31 (I was 66 — full retirement age — as of Jan. 1). I have received conflicting information on what my final FERS retirement annuity is made up of, i.e.…
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement System employee who started as a civilian federal employee in 1989 after 5½ years of active-duty military service. I am 49 years old. I am trying to figure out if it would make sense to buy back my military time. Is there a retirement age gap between when it would be a good idea and when it would not be? I am currently a GS-11 and the buy-back amount would be a little under $6,000. I also retired from the Army Reserve back in 2000. A: I can’t tell you whether you should…