Q. I retired at age 62 from the Postal Service on Feb. 29, 2008, just months before enactment of the changes made to federal unused sick leave. I worked 19.5 years for the Postal Service and had 3.75 years of military service. Will I be eligible for the 1,498 hours of unused sick leave accumulated during my postal career toward my retirement pay? A. No.
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Q. I know a postmaster struggling with everyday work due to needing double knee replacing and double hip surgeries. He was told he has osteoarthritis. Now he is in constant pain. It is stopping him from walking and moving around. He needs a cane to walk. Would he qualify for disability retirement? Also, he doesn’t want to feel threatened because he is where physically, he can’t work. He is only 44 and is a 50 percent disabled combat veteran. Would he qualify? A. To find out if he would qualify, he’ll have to apply for disability retirement. His servicing personnel…
Q. I’m a 52-year-old mail handler with 28 years of service. I still owe on my mortgage. I have enough equity to buy something smaller and pay most of it in full. Would I be eligible to retire now to take advantage of the $15,000 early-out being offered? A. Because you meet the age and service requirements for early voluntary retirement, you could do so if you were offered a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment.
Q. I’m a FERS employee with the USPS. I’m thinking of retiring in a few years, I know the USPS uses the high-3 formula. Is overtime factored in? I plan on doing as much as I can before retiring. A. No.
Q. I am a CSRS postal employee considering retirement, with the offer of $20,000 Special Retirement Incentive as a postmaster. I am 55 with 30 years of service. Under service history, I have listed as unfunded, work from Aug. 22, 1979, to Oct. 5, 1979. This is one month and 14 days of service. In addition, the history lists this service under U.S. Postal Service when the work was for the U.S. Census Bureau. Should I be concerned about getting the agency information corrected on this? I was first employed by the Postal Service on June 19, 1982. I assume…
Q. My agency is going to offer early outs this fiscal year, and I want to take advantage of that. I am 48 and have been in FERS my entire career, with no service breaks. My service computation date is October 1983. If I take the early out, my major concern is if I can keep my heath benefits. Will I get to keep my full health benefits? Will I have to take over from my agency the full cost of premiums? Will open season still be available to me each year, just as it is every year as an…
Q. I have been under Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs for the last 10 months. If voluntary early retirement is offered to the clerk craft, am I eligible to take it? I am 48 and have worked for the Post Office for 27 years. A. Yes. With 25 years of service, you can retire at any age.
Q. I was released from the Postal Service involuntarily after about 6½ years. My steward informed me that my health benefit continues for one year after separation. Also, she told me that if I am reinstated, any back premiums will be repaid from any back pay I may receive or they will make up for them during this time by taking it from my paychecks. I was hired with a 10-point veterans preference (under 30 percent) compensation. Is this correct? A. Unless your steward knows something that I don’t know, here’s what will happen: You’ll get a 31-day extension of…
Q. I am a CSRS USPS employee (age 56 with 35 years’ service) thinking about retiring at the end of the year. Do the same dates hold true for postal workers as federal employees? To maximize my benefits, I believe Dec. 29 is the best date. USPS pay periods do not follow the same as federal. Does this affect the retirement date? A. To maximize your benefits when you retire, you need to do only two things: 1) retire no later than the end of the leave year and 2) retire before Jan. 3. That way you’ll receive a lump-sum…
Q. I will be retiring in 2013 at my MRA, 56, with 34 years of service, 28 in the USPS and six in the military (I bought back my time). I am a FERS employee and thus will be eligible for the special retirement supplement. My OPM pension will be $2,000/month. My Social Security benefit estimate is $1,300/month. Will I receive any of those benefits? A. Having a CSRS component in your annuity won’t affect the amount of your special retirement supplement, which is paid by OPM and based on the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while a…