Q. My wife, who is terminally ill, is covered by FERS and is an employee of the Postal Service. She is running out of sick and annual leave. If she goes on leave without pay and passes away while on leave without pay, will I, as her current husband (25 years +) still be eligible for the basic employee death benefit (50 percent of final salary plus $15,000)? A. If your wife had more than 18 months service but less than 10 years, you’d receive a lump-sum payment of $31,316.46 plus a lump-sum of the higher of 50 percent on…
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Q. My father worked for the post office for 15 to 18 years before taking early disability retirement around 1994 or ’95. He passed away in 1998. My mother receives an annuity each month. She recently became unemployed. We were discussing her drawing Social Security in a few years and getting my father’s. I was unaware that he did not pay in while employed with the Postal Service because he paid into retirement there. Is my mother able to draw his retirement pension, or is the annuity all she gets? A. Because your father was a Civil Service Retirement System…
Q. I am 70 years old and still employed as a federal worker. Does the HMO I am covered by now become my secondary when I retire and I get Medicare Part B? Is my payment to my HMO reduced if it becomes my secondary? A. As soon as you retire, Medicare will become the primary payer and your HMO the secondary payer. That goes for Medicare Part A and Part B. The rates you pay for your FEHB coverage won’t change. You’ll pay the same amount you paid when you were an employee, unless you are a Postal Service…
Q. I was in the Air National Guard full time for 14 years. Now I work for the Postal Service and have been there 16 years. I bought back my military time and had the 30+ years funded. Then, I received a letter from USPS human resources that my military time was not federally creditable, and they returned my buyback money. The post office is saying I was paid by the state and not by the federal government. I really wanted to be a part of the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority this month, but this has become a mess. If…
Q. I’m planning on retiring Sept. 1 at age 56 with 25 years and 30 days in the Postal Service. I haven’t been offered early retirement. Will I be eligible for the special retirement supplement? A. Because you’ll be retiring under the MRA+10 provision, your annuity will be reduced by 5 percent for every year you are under age 60. Further, you won’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement.
Q. I worked for the Department of the Interior from April 25, 1988, as a seasonal employee until I was converted to career conditional on Dec. 4, 1988. I was then hired at the Postal Service on March 11, 1989. Can I buy back my seasonal time? Will that help with creditable service toward the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority? Can sick leave and annual leave be credited toward the VERA? I do not have the age and my current service computation date is Dec. 4, 1988. I am hoping to reach the 25 years at any age, but it appears…
Q. I am with the USPS and am in CSRS. I began working in 1973 and quit in 1977, at which time I withdrew my retirement money. I returned to the USPS in 1983 and am still there. Do I need to redeposit the money I withdrew to get credit for 33 years of service? If I do not redeposit the money, will my annuity be decreased? A. Because you got that refund before Feb. 28, 1991, you’ll get credit for that time in determining you total years of service. However, if you don’t redeposit that money, plus accrued interest,…
Q. I have 30-plus years total; 11 years and nine months of that is military time I bought back. The rest of it is in the USPS. I will be 52 and am being offered early retirement. When I reach my MRA, will I be eligible for the special retirement supplement? A. While you’ll be eligible for the special retirement supplement when you reach your MRA, it will be based solely on your years of actual FERS employment. Active-duty service for which you’ve made a deposit will not be included in that computation.
Q. I am 52 and have been with the Postal Service for 24 years. Will I be able to collect the special retirement supplement at 52, taking the early retirement, or will I have to wait until a certain age? A. You’ll have to wait for the special retirement supplement until you reach your MRA (minimum retirement age), which is 56.
Q. I recently retired from the Postal Service on Sept. 30. Is there any way to see where in the retirement processing system I am? I received my first interim check on Nov. 19, which was approximately 60 percent of my retirement. Also, being age 60, I will also get the interim payment once the processing is complete. I have my CSA claim number. A. I’m not aware of any way you could find out how close you are to having for annuity finalized.