Q. I am a former military service member with an honorable discharge (not retirement) and just took a position as a federal civil servant. Am I able to receive sick leave recredit (i.e., the equivalent of four hours per pay period) for my military service time? I am already receiving a higher annual leave accrual rate based upon my service time. I found the following regulation — 5 CFR 630.502 — Sick leave recredit: “(a) When an employee transfers between positions under subchapter I of chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code, the agency from which the employee transfers…
Browsing: military service
Q. Can a FERS employee with active-duty time, then Army Reserve time, then sanctioned as a USAR to retire and receive a retirement check, immediately buy back his active-duty time to count toward his civilian time? A. An employee can always make a deposit to get credit for any periods of active-duty service. If that employee receives reserve retired pay, he can receive that and his civilian retired pay without a reduction in either. If he receives military retired pay, in most cases he’ll have to waive that pay to get civilian credit for his active duty service.
Q. I am a military spouse. My spouse received official orders for a permanent change of station outside our state. I submitted a request for leave without pay due to my spouse’s official orders. My organization at the time, the Defense Logistics Agency, did not grant me LWOP but instead submitted an SF-52 stating that the member “resigned no reason given.” I sent several messages to the local human resources office about the error. The response from the HR office was that LWOP would not be granted because the organization could not afford to have my old position vacant for…
Q. What are the guidelines for buying back contractor time (four years) when I get a federal job? I have three years’ military service. A. You cannot make a deposit to get credit for your time as a contractor. You can make a deposit to get credit for any active-duty military time.
Q. I recently retired from the military with 23½ years of active duty. This included combat duty in Iraq. I have started employment as a federal GS employee within the past 60 days. Does my veteran status entitle me to more than the basic four hours of annual leave per pay period? A. According to OPM, “For leave accrual, retirees receive credit only for: actual service during a war declared by Congress (includes World War II covering the period Dec. 7, 1941, to April 28, 1952) or while participating in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge is…
Q. I am a federal employee with 32+ years of civil service, planning on retiring in the next five years. I have been enrolled in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan throughout my career. My husband retired from active duty Aug. 31 with 23+ years. We had dual coverage under Tricare and FEHB since August 1995, with FEHB being primary and Tricare as secondary. Now that my husband has retired, to continue to be covered under Tricare, he had to sign up for a specific Tricare plan, for which we are now charged a monthly premium. We are trying to determine…
Q. I retired from civil service March 31 after 45 years and nine months under CSRS. Before that, I served three years in the military (1962-65), and other private industry jobs throughout the years went to Social Security to earn 40 quarters. At age 65, I started drawing a Social Security pension. Now, Social Security says it is reducing that check by half and I have to repay half of what was paid to me since April 1 unless I can prove it was not my fault I received the money. What? This all because I retired and started drawing…
Q. I served in the Marine Corps active duty from 1975-1987, then in December 1987 became a civil servant under FERS as a special agent (1811) until I retired in 2009 with 21 years of civil service. I bought back my 12½ years of active-duty military time, giving me 33½ years of federal service at age 51 (I was 17 when I joined the Marines). I stayed in the Marine Corps Reserves with 20 good years and will start to draw my military retirement annuity at age 60. I am 55. What is my MRA? I receive the special retirement…
Q. I plan to retire at 32 years of federal service under CSRS. I have six months of military service that have not been paid off. Is that going to affect my 40 quarters of Social Security? A. If you don’t make a deposit for those six months of active-duty service, your CSRS annuity will be actuarially reduced by 10 percent of the amount you owe, plus accrued interest. Because you will be receiving an annuity from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, you’ll be subject to the windfall elimination provision. The WEP will reduce your…
Q. I am a 43-year-old federal employee, and I had seven years of military time and so far 15 years of service under FERS. I have made a deposit for my military time, so I am at 23 years. I just made GS-11. What is the option for retiring at the end of that three-year period as a GS-11 for my high-three? A. There is no option because you won’t meet the age and service requirements to retire on an immediate annuity: age 62 with five years of service, 60 with 20, at your minimum retirement age with 30 or…