Q. In 2002, I became a FERS employee and bought back almost 13 years of AFS. Since 9/11, I have been mobilized on active-duty orders that pushed me over the 20-year AFS mark, and I have been drawing an active-duty pension since June 1. I have gotten different answers to my question: Do I still have 20 years of federal employee time such that I could retire next year at the MRA of 56, or do I revert to only about five years of creditable federal service as a government employee? Also, if I must revert back to only five…
Browsing: military service
Q. I am 57 years old; have 29 years of federal service, which includes nine years of military service; and plan on retiring at age 60 or 62. Does it make financial sense to pay for the nine years of military service during the next three to five years before I retire? A. Because you are a FERS employee, you don’t have 29 years of creditable service for retirement purposes; you have only 20. To get credit for those nine years of active-duty service in your annuity computation, you’d have to make a deposit to the retirement system, including accrued…
Q. Can you provide guidance concerning the regulatory references or law(s) governing leave accrual determination for retirement military members who buy back their military time? Also, what should happen once a retired military member buys back military time? I reviewed the most recent Q/A concerning this and could not find answers for the following situation: I retired from the military and began working for the federal government. As a participant in the military buyback program, I first requested my total income (SF 3108A) while serving in the military from my military service DFAS office. Once I received this information, I…
Q. I have bought my active-duty time back. Is annual training with the National Guard and Reserve applicable toward federal retirement if you buy it back? A. If you were called to active duty for training (ANACDUTRA) while employed by the federal government, you’ve already received credit for it and no deposit is required. If it occurred before you were employed by the federal government, you would have to make a deposit to get credit for it.
Q. I retired from the Postal Service after 30 years in June 2010. At the time, I did not repay my military service, which was 2½ years. I receive my Civil Service pension based on a combined civil service of 33 years. I also do not qualify for Social Security, as I have fewer than 40 credits (39). I also know that if I do not qualify for Social Security at age 62, after that point the Civil Service will always remain for a 33-year retirement that they do not continue to check eligibility. If I get re-employed with the…
Q. I retired from the Postal Service after 30 years in June 2010. At the time, I did not repay my military service, which was 2½ years. I receive my Civil Service pension based on a combined civil service of 33 years. I also do not qualify for Social Security, as I have fewer than 40 credits (39). I also know that if I do not qualify for Social Security at age 62, after that point the Civil Service will always remain for a 33-year retirement that they do not continue to check eligibility. If I get re-employed with the…
Q. I work for the Defense Contract Audit Agency. I served in the Guard or Army Reserve or on active duty for 21 years. From 2004-2006, I served in Afghanistan, and was injured during a combat mission. As a result, I was medically retired from the Army in January 2009. I am a Chapter 61 retiree (a medical retiree with less than 20 years of creditable active service). I am unique in that I had multiple injuries, but the Army board awards a retirement for only one disability. As a result, my VA disability pay exceeds my retired pay, and all of…
Q. I am employed with the federal prison system, which gets law enforcement officer coverage. With five years of civilian service and eight of military paid for, I will have 13 years of total service. I’m only 34 now, but if I leave to pursue other employment, will I qualify for an MRA+10 annuity at 57 or deferred annuity at 62? Also, what will be used to compute my annuity —1.7 percent or 1.0? A. If you left, you’d be eligible for either an MRA+10 annuity at age 57 or a deferred annuity at age 62. If you elected to…
Q. I am a retiree from the military after 20-plus years. As a civilian, I plan to work in the federal government. What is the federal government’s vested time? What is the early (minimum) retirement time — i.e., service time and age? A. You would need to work for five year to be vested in the retirement system. The age and service requirements to retire are: 62 and five, 60 and 20, at your MRA (minimum retirement age) with 30 or at your MRA+10, but with a 5 percent reduction in your annuity for every year you were younger than…
Q. I am a new federal employee with Tricare Prime that I am paying for since I am retired military. Is there any advantage in taking Federal Employees Health Benefits. If so, what would it be? Second, can I only sign up for the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program to take care of my co-payments and additional dental cost if I don’t sign up for FEHB? A. As to your first question, I have only anecdotal advice to give you. Some employees who are covered by Tricare have told me that they enrolled in the least expensive FEHB plan as…