Q. I am a FERS employee who has 846 hours of sick leave as of Feb. 13. I will be 69 years old in June and have 24 years (including military time) at the Veterans Affairs Department. I would like to retire next January. I am a GS5-8. Is January the best time to retire? A. The best day to retire is the one that fits your physical, emotional and financial needs. In general, it ought to be at the end of a pay period, so you can get credit for any annual and sick leave you earned during those…
Browsing: military service
Q. I am leaving active duty with 20 years. I have 65 days of terminal leave. If I have been accepted to a federal job, can I start it while on active duty terminal leave? A. Yes.
Q. I have 38 years under CSRS and have not paid back my four years of military service. I am 63 years old and am thinking about retiring this year. I have 40 quarters under Social Security. When I retire, am I eligible for a partial Social Security annuity, along with my federal retirement pension? A. You’ll get full credit for your active-duty service in determining your length of service. However, when you reach age 62, your annuity will be recomputed without those four years, which will reduce your annuity. While you’ll be eligible for a Social Security benefit, it…
Q. If I am 100 percent disabled due to a service-connected disability and entitled to free health care with the Veterans Affairs Department for life, does it make sense to cancel the Federal Employees Health Benefits insurance that I have had since I retired in 2004? I am also covered under my wife’s health insurance through her former employer. A. I can’t tell you if it makes sense. That’s something you’ll have to figure out. Review the benefits you receive from VA and those you and your wife receive both from her employer plan and your FEHB enrollment. Keep in mind…
Q. I am a 46-year-old Department of Defense firefighter with 25 years of service (three years and eight months of active military time, for which I have not made a deposit), and was told I was not eligible for VERA because I was under the MRA. Is this true or is there another reason I’m not eligible? A. Your agency is correct. The age and service requirements for early retirement are: age 50 with 20 years of service or at any age with 25. You don’t meet the first set of criteria because you haven’t reached your MRA. You don’t…
Q. I served 11 years in the Air Force, am 30 percent disabled, worked for USPS for three years and have now been employed by the Department of Defense for two years. What do I need to do to see about transferring back to USPS? A. You can no more transfer from the Department of the Air Force to the Postal Service than you could have transferred from the Postal Service to the Air Force. What you can do is apply for a job in the Postal Service. If you still live where you did when you last worked for…
Q. I am a civilian 0083 police officer for the Navy. We are attempting to get 6C law enforcement officer coverage in our department. I understand that the two law enforcement retirements are based on OPM’s definition and what work is performed at you duty station. But what is the process in trying to get either retirement in place? A. You’ll find the definitions of what constitutes a law enforcement officer at www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook.pdf. Just scroll to Parts 46A3 (CSRS) and 46B3 (FERS). For a group of positions to be considered for such coverage, the positions must meet the criteria. Then…
Q. I am CSRC, and I retired from the reserves in late 1996. Recently I found out that you can buy active-duty time for training and apply it toward years of service. On My AHR form 249-2-E (chronological statement of retirement points) in column 8, active-duty points, after subtracting the time I bought (Navy active duty and Desert Storm), I have 442 points, or days. Is this time eligible to be bought and applied to my retirement? I am the veterans program manager for my agency in the state of Alabama and the answer to this question will be, and…
Q. Can you buy back your military time no matter what type of discharge you have? A. No. You must have been discharged under honorable conditions. To see what qualifies as honorable military service, go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C022.pdf and scroll to Section 22A2.1-2F.
Q. I am a FERS employee, and I’m considering buying back my service time; I retired after 23 years in the Army. I am 49 and have five years of federal time as of 2013. Would it be in my best interests to buy back my military time toward federal retirement, and what would be the effects? A. Here’s the upside: If you make a deposit to get credit for your active-duty service, you’ll have 28 years of creditable service. If you retire at your minimum retirement age (56), you’ll have 35 years of service and your annuity will be…