Q. I joined the Illinois National Guard on Dec. 23, 1981. I served boot camp time only from May 10, 1982, to June 25, 1982. I started getting blisters under my feet due to the boots and received a medical honorable discharge July 23, 1982. I have seven months of time. Can the seven months be applied as military time for retirement?
Browsing: National Guard
Q. I am 53 with 30-plus years of excepted civil service with the National Guard. I believe my MRA is 56. At age 56, can I voluntarily retire with no penalties? Could I voluntarily retire early?
Q. I am on active duty. If I leave active duty and buy back my time to work at another federal job and at the same time do time with a National Guard component, will I be eligible to receive two retirements once I turn the right age? A. If you work for the federal government, you can make a deposit to get credit for that time. If you are eligible for reserve retired pay, you can receive that pay and the annuity of your civilian position. If you are eligible for military retired pay, you’ll have to waive that…
Q. I have completed 10 years of active-duty service and 11 years in the National Guard (I am still in the guard). I have been employed by the Department of Labor (GS12/FERS) for the last 10 years. I bought back my 10 years of active-duty service. My questions are: 1. Was I eligible to buy back my 10 years of active duty, seeing as how I can now retire from the guard? 2. If I am eligible, does that mean I have 20 years with the Department of Labor (10 active plus 10 in the department itself)? A. 1) Yes,…
Q. I was on extended duty for the reserves. It was active duty, Green ID card-title 10 with the National Guard. Can I apply that time to my current federal time for annual leave purposes? If so, what form should I use? A. National Guard service isn’t creditable for any federal civilian purpose unless you were called to active duty in the service of the United States. Your agency will have to determine if any of your service is creditable by following the procedures in www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C022.pdf.
Q. I am a FERS employee (position requires I be a member of the Army National Guard) with 23 years of service; I will be receiving a physical health assessment with the National Guard in April and I anticipate being discharged because I have lost the vision in my right eye due to an accident while in military training. I assume I will qualify for FERS disability retirement and I read that I must also apply for Social Security disability. If the Social Security does not approve my disability, can I still receive the FERS disability retirement? A. Yes.
Q. Is it within the rules to drop the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan and start Tricare Prime when I turn 60? I am an eligible National Guard retiree with 30-plus years. Tricare Prime is a fraction of the cost of my FEHB HMO. A. Yes. According to the Office of Personnel Management, Tricare- and CHAMPVA-eligible FEHB Program annuitants, survivors and former spouses may suspend their FEHB enrollments, and then return to the FEHB Program during the open season, or return to FEHB coverage immediately if they involuntarily lose this non-FEHB coverage. This allows eligible beneficiaries to avoid the expense of…
Q. I am about to retire from federal service. From 1969 to 1976, I served in the Air National Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve. When I joined the guard, I spent six months in training. Does that time count toward my federal service time? A. It does count if you were called to active duty. If it is creditable, it should be reflected in your service computation date. If it isn’t, you’ll need to check with your personnel office, which can get in touch with the Air National Guard to determine if the time is creditable.
Q: I have been on active-duty orders for the West Virginia National Guard since Nov. 8, 2009, in order to support the Defense Critical Infrastructure Program (DCIP) and the Critical Infrastructure Protection-Mission Assessments (CIP-MAAs). This executive order is the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) – 7. I am not in direct support of OEF, however, we provide domestic security duty. Can this period of time be credited toward my federal law enforcement career, which is now on hold? A: It will depend on the nature of the orders that led to your being called to active duty. You’ll need to share…
Q: I was in the National Guard from January, 1970 until January, 1976. I was only on active duty for six months then; the rest of the 5 ½ years were weekends and two weeks a year on active duty. Can I buy any of that time back? A: Only the six months that you were on active duty.