Q. As a younger federal employee with seven years in, I’m left wondering how I can plan for retirement with Congress constantly threatening to not only change contribution amounts, but benefit payouts. What, if any, limits does Congress face in reducing pensions? Since I’ve already worked 7 years and both I and my employer made contributions during that time, isn’t there an account somewhere with money deposited in my name? Or can Congress come in when I’m 61 and decide to vacate entirely the pension I’ve already earned? I understand changes in calculation of payout growth like what the military…
Browsing: pension
Q. I’m considering moving from a state job in New Jersey to a federal job. Will any of the state pension deductibles be transferable to the federal government? A: No.
Q. I am a FERS employee with 22 years of service. I will have 30 years of service in eight more years and will also be 50. Can I retire with 30 years of service and collect (i.e., request an early retirement package)? I’ve read the deferred retirement, but my understanding is I would not be able to receive a pension until my MRA, 57.
Q. I worked for the VA hospital in San Francisco for six years as a registered nurse from 1991 to 1997. I was vested, but how do I find out if I have a pension and how and when I may be able to collect it if I am eligible?
Q. I am 55 with 36 years of federal employment, including two one-year breaks in service. The last break was in 1985. I withdrew the funds I had paid into CSRS each time I broke service and have repaid a minimal amount of it. I thought I would be one of those people who worked forever; however, I have a progressively degenerative medical condition and likely will not be able to work more than another year at the most. I am totally ignorant about retirement and to what benefits I am entitled. For example, will my pension benefits be reduced…
Q. I retired from the military after 22 years of active duty and receive a VA pension and 10 percent disability pension. Since then, I have been in the federal government for 10 years, and I hope to retire at 20 years and 62 years old. What will my retirement look like?
Q. I am 50, have 20 years under FERS and am thinking of retiring in six years when I reach my MRA of 56. If I do this, will I get health insurance coverage right away? Also, can I retire at 56 but delay retirement payments until 60 (or is it 62?) so I can avoid the 5 percent-per-year reduction in the payout? My main concern is keeping health insurance in place as soon as I retire at 56 — I can afford to delay the payout.
Q. I am a FERS GS-11 step 10 employee planning to retire at 66 with 25 years of federal service in 2016. Pensions are based on the high-3. Is the high-3 based on base pay for the grade and step or base plus locality percentage? The 2012 GS Base table shows 11 step 10 as $65,371. Base plus locality equals $77,138, or an addition of 14.16 percent or $11,767 over base. There is a large difference when calculating retirement figures using $65,371 versus $77,137.
Q. My husband worked for the government for 25 years under CSRS and receives a pension. When he retired, we applied for spousal benefits because I had no qualifying employment. He then went to work in the private sector and will complete his 30 years of substantial earnings for Social Security next year. When he retires, he will receive another pension from his private job. As we understand it, we should not be affected by the windfall elimination provision. However, we are confused by the government pension offset. Will he not be entitled to draw his full Social Security at…
Q. From 1983 to 1985, I worked part time for the USDA. I was a student at the time, so when I graduated, I left for a job in the private sector, and my retirement deductions were paid back to me. I was later hired by the Department of the Army, where I have been ever since. I recently made a service deposit for my USDA time. I served with USDA for 25 months, but the part-time hours add up to 15 months full-time equivalent. Will this add 15 months or 25 months to my FERS pension?