Q. At age 55, with 24 years and four month’s service under FERS, I accepted the U.S. Postal Service offer of Voluntary Early Retirement, effective Aug. 1, 2009, because of my eligibility to start receiving my OPM Special Retirement Supplement (SRS) upon reaching the minimum retirement age (MRA) in July 2010. Since retiring nine months ago I have received no information about my SRS from the USPS or OPM. In all of the vast amount of available information on the SRS, I have found no instructions on if, how to or to whom I must apply for it. Since I…
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Q. I recently retired from the Postal Service under CSRS Offset and the Air Force Reserve. Upon retirement I had my postal retirement decreased due to the amount I was receiving from the military. This was done even with a deduction of pay going to my ex-wife. She is getting part of my military and postal retirement (plus $500). What are the rules that apply to these deductions? I also put in for early Social Security and that amount was also decreased as a windfall profit (whatever that means). What are the rules on that decrease? How can I change…
Q. I see that the approximate COLA for retirees this year might be 0.1 percent. My question is, does that include postal retirees? I know we all go through OPM now, but sometimes it looks like postal retirees fall into a different group. A. The cost-of-living adjustment for retirees in 2010 was zero. While it’s been estimated that it will be 0.01 percent next year, when it comes to COLAs, no distinction is ever made between postal and non-postal employees
Q. I served four years in the Navy from 1989-2003; right now, I work for the U.S. Postal Service as a ptf city carrier. If the post office cuts back to a five-day workweek, they will do layoffs. So, should I buy back my four years of service because that would put me at seven years of service and I think it takes seven years to keep from getting laid off. And, of course, what would be the cost of the buyback? The post office told me I had three years from my hire date to pay no interest and…
Q. Do you think there will be a buyout for the carriers if there’s a move to five-day delivery? A. Making a prediction tied to something that might happen would be a foolish waste of time.
Q: I took the VER that was offered for postal clerks on Oct. 31, 2009. I have received three very small interim annuity checks since then. Processing is taking forever. I assume it will all come out in the wash. I am 60 with 25+ years in FERS. Will I receive the SRS? Do I have to make a special request either to OPM or to Social Security for that? Can I use the 26/40x the figure on my SSA statement to figure the amount? The statement I have is dated July 2009. In addition, I’ve had a part-time job…
Q: Do you think the Postal Service will offer another buyout anytime soon? I have 31 years, with military time. A: I haven’t heard anything that would suggest that the Postal Service plans to do that and, unfortunately, I can’t predict what it might do in the future.
Q: I recently retired from the Postal Service under the incentive/buyout offer. If I seek another government position, will I be required to pay back the buyout money I received? A: Yes. If you received a buyout and later accept a paying job with the federal government within 5 years of the date of the separation on which that buyout is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, you must repay the entire amount of the buyout to the agency that paid it to you before your first day of re-employment.
Q: I am a Civil Service Retirement System employee who is now receiving a disability pension. What happens if I am able to go back to work but the Postal Service doesn’t have any openings and I can get a job in the private sector? I am 57 years old with 28 years with the postal service. Do I have to wait until I am 60 or 62 years of age to retire (deferred retirement)? Also, is there an earnings limit if I retire as a civil service retiree like there is under Social Security? A: If your disability annuity…
Q: I am a letter carrier in the U.S. Postal Service. How much annual leave can I “sell” back at retirement? A: Because you are a bargaining unit employee, you can only receive a lump-sum payment for any unused annual leave that does not exceed the carryover limit for your bargaining unit. As a rule, that limit is 440 hours.