Q. I am a FERS-covered permanent part-time employee (64 hours per pay period), age 64, and will have five years of civil service employment in September. I retired from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with 31 years, seven months of service. It has been suggested to me that by making a Federal Employees Retirement System payment for the time over 30 years (one year and seven months), I could add that time to my length of service for my FERS annuity calculation. Is this true, and how do I go about doing that? A. To get credit for…
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Q. I did four years in the Marine Corps, got out in June 1993 and did a year in the Army National Guard, started a government job (FERS) in December 1996 and my service computation date for leave is June 1991. I just received a 20 year pin. Something seems wrong here. A. Although you received credit for that period of active- duty service in determining your leave accrual rate, unless you have made a deposit to the civilian retirement system, you won’t receive any credit for it in your annuity computation when you retire.
Q. I am a 59-year-old with 26 years with the federal government. I am a 20/20/20 former spouse also (not remarried). I have not been enrolled in a Federal Employees Health Benefits plan because I am covered under Tricare. I planning on retiring in December 2012 at age 61, with 27 years in federal service. I would like to enroll in an FEHB plan this year during open season. I would like to have the option to use Tricare until I am 65 and then be able to use my FEHB plan rather than use Tricare for Life. When I renew my…
Q. I have been retired military (26 years) for two years. I just become a civil servant last week. What are the “limited circumstance” that you refer to below? (excerpt from a recent email exchange). What should I do to find out if buying back my military time would be advantageous? “… if you want to get credit in your civilian annuity for the time you spent in the military, you’d usually have to make a deposit to the civilian retirement system and waive your military retired pay. There are only limited circumstances under which you can both get credit…
Q: Can you earn two federal retirements such as a military and a civil service? A: Yes. Each will be based on its own period of service and computed under its own rules.
Q. I have approximately 10.2 years of active military service. I relocated and worked about two years with the Postal Service and now am working as a civil service employee for the Defense Department. Am I able to combine all of these together to put towards a retirement? If so, would I need to make a deposit of 3 percent of my basic pay? Which basic pay do I use (military and postal?) I started my civil service job at age 51 last year. How many years will I need to work in order to retire? And if I work…
Q: I was active-duty Navy for five years, then worked for the U.S. Postal Service under the Federal Employees Retirement System for seven years, during which time I bought back my military time. After 9/11, I went back into military service (active-duty Army), and I will retire with 20 years active service. Who do I need to contact to get a refund of my deposit with the USPS? A: While you can’t get a refund solely of your deposit for active-duty service, you can get a refund of all your contributions and deposits to the retirement fund. Download a copy…
Q: I re-entered federal service in 2004 having a short amount of temp time before that. Back then, the retirement system I was placed in was the CSRS offset. During that time, I also paid in for military service at the CSRS rate then in place. Beginning in 2007, as I did not have five years in the offset system, I was automatically converted to FERS. I have requested clarification as to whether the 2004-2007 time frame, I will receive a separate CSRS component to my retirement or whether it will all be under the FERS calculation. In addition, will…
Q: I retired from the Air Force in 1998 then joined the Air Force Reserve in 2002. In 2003, I became an Air Reserve technican. Can I buy my military time back to include in my civil service total time? When I turn 60, I will convert my active-duty retirement to reserve retirement. A: Yes, you can make a deposit to get credit for your active-duty service. If you do, that time will be added to your actual civilian service and used in the computation of your civilian annuity, but only after you have at least five years of civilian…
Q: I am a 20-year retired Army veteran. I receive a CRDP disability of 60 percent in addition to my retired pay. I work for Veterans Affairs and I have worked there since Dec. 26, 2007. I received creditable service for some of my assignments which took me to six hours per pay period accrual. I think I read somewhere that if you have a disability rating of a certain type you can receive creditable service toward leave accrual. Can I? A: No leave accrual credit is given for a disability rating of any kind.