Q. I have 11 years total service (eight years military buyback and three years federal civilian employment) and I am 49 years old. If I leave federal employment at age 51 (with a total of 13 years service, five as a civilian employee), can I apply for deferred MRA+10 retirement and receive my pension and health care benefits when I turn 62? Or do I need to be my minimum retirement age (57 years old) when I leave federal employment? A. To retire under the MRA+10 provision, you’d have to be 57, your minimum retirement age. To avoid the 5…
Browsing: pension
Q. I was a half-time Veterans Affairs Department psychologist at an outpatient clinic from 1981 to 1993. During the first part of the period of employment, I recall that I was part of the standard VA retirement system. If my memory is correct, I was compelled to join the Thrift Savings Plan and also had some reduced level of participation in the some retirement plan (maybe it was Social Security) in the final years of my employment. I received an annual notice regarding TSP, but I have not received any other information on any possible retirement benefits. I am now…
Q. After working for approximately 11 years in the private sector and paying into Social Security, I joined the Foreign Service in March 1979. I resigned in July 1983 to get married and start a family. I got back the $4,000 I paid into my retirement. In June 1985, I rejoined the Foreign Service and because my original separation was for the purpose of marriage, I was brought back on at the same grade and step level I was at, my leave balances at the time of my separation were reinstated, and I continued to earn annual and sick leave at the same…
Q. I worked for the Ammunition Procurement and Supply Agency in Joliet, Ill., from 1966 to 1973. They closed and moved and I did not move with them. Would I qualify for a federal pension now that I am 64? I remember receiving a severance pay at the time. A. If you left your contributions in the retirement fund when you left, you’d be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be eligible for anything.
Q. I retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service. I am receiving retirement pay. I was given a 40 percent disability rating from the Veterans Affairs Department. VA takes out a percentage of my military pension and then sends that to me tax-free. I now work for the Department of Energy, and I have bought back my 20 years of service. I would like to retire at my minimum retirement age of 56, which is about six years from now, which if separated would give me my 20 years military and 17 years FERS. I was told that…
Q. I was employed by the Postal Service in the late 1960s, served four years in the Air Force and returned to the USPS in the mid-1970s before leaving for other employment. How can I determine if I am entitled to a pension? A. At age 62, you would be entitled to an annuity based on your USPS employment if you had at least five years of service and didn’t take a refund of your retirement deductions when you left. If you meet those criteria, you can apply for a deferred annuity several months before your 62nd birthday. Just fill out…
Q. Do full-time term employees (civil servants) accrue time toward their years of service in calculating years for the pension plan? If I were to stay a term employee for the full six years, would that time count toward my pension plan the same as if I were “permanent status”? A. If retirement deductions were taken from your pay, yes. If they weren’t, no.
Q. In 1985, after 16 years of federal service with the Department of Defense, I withdrew all my retirement contributions. I am now 64. How can I compute the amount of payback necessary to draw a pension, or is that possible? A. It would be possible only if you returned to work for the federal government.
Q. I retired after 30 years in the military and did not buy back my time. I am 53 and want to retire from FERS with 5½ years in. I know it’s a deferred retirement. Can I keep dental/vision insurance? Can I avoid the deferred retirement and draw a small pension right away? A. First, you don’t meet the age and service requirements for an immediate annuity. Second, employees who leave with an entitlement to a deferred annuity aren’t eligible to continue their coverage under the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program, nor may they re-enroll when their deferred…
Q. I am a dual-status Air National guardsman with 26 years of service in FERS. I started a medical worldwide duty evaluation in September 2011, and the clinic has been gathering information from my doctors via me. In May 2012, I was told that I was being non-retained on the military side due to restructuring. I was told that since I had 26 years of federal service, I would draw an immediate pension and that would disqualify me for FERS disability, which would be better for me. Is this true? A. Yes.