Q. I am 52 years old and have 12 years in a federal excepted service position. Due to my excepted service status, do I understand correctly that I have no bump or retreat rights in the event of a reduction in force? For what retirement benefits would I be eligible under these circumstances? A. If you left your contributions in the retirement fund, you would be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62.
Browsing: reduction-in-force
Q. During a reduction in force, if my job (series) is not being cut, can someone still bump me? A. Yes, if they have a higher retention standing than you do and are qualified to fill your position.
Q. In the booklet the Postal Service mailed me, it states that if you reach your minimum retirement age during a reduction in force, you can receive the special retirement supplement. The MRA in a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority is 50, not 55. Therefore, I should get the supplement because I am 50 years old, correct? A. I think you misunderstood what you read. If you retire under the VERA and have already reached your MRA, you’ll be entitled to the special retirement supplement when you retire. If you take a VERA and are under your MRA, you’ll begin receiving…
Q. I am an employee with the Postal Service. I have 35 years of service and am 56 years old. My position as an AMS Tech EAS-15 was recently abolished. I was offered an early-out but without any incentive money. I did not take it since I can voluntarily retire and no money was offered. The EAS-15 positions are being replaced with 56 newly created EAS-17 positions and 318 PS-7 APWU clerk positions. I expect there may be a class action about it. 1. Considering that I am already eligible to retire, I’m trying to determine whether it would benefit me to…
Q. I will be 56 by mid-January. My service computation date is May 13, 1992. I am a GS-13, level 8. I have received my 20-year pin (I bought back six years of Navy active-duty time) yet the payroll department at our Veterans Affairs medical center now tell me I only have 17 years. I left the VA system for private business in 2003 for three years, then came back to my previous position in VA. I left my FERS money in the system when I left. Would this make me eligible to retain those three years toward my retirement,…
Q. I am retiring under CSRS. My early D.C. government agency was closed in 2001. All employees were subjected to a reduction in force. At that time I had 19½ years of service and 867 hours of sick leave. I returned to government employment (another D.C. agency) in 2006 and was put through a reduction in force again in 2010. Although the break was too long for the hours to be re-credited for regular use, shouldn’t they be in time-in-service calculations for my annuity now? A. No.
Q. I just sent you a question and realized I did not include that I am under CSRS. As of Oct. 13, I had 29 years with the Postal Service and presently have enough annual and sick leave to get me through until I have my required 30 years. What is the best way for me to retire early with the least amount of loss in my retirement? A. First, I need to correct a misunderstanding on your part. You can’t use your annual and sick leave to help you reach 30 years of service. Unlike the military, the federal…
Q. I am an Air Reserve technician. I turn 60 in March 2014 and by law will have to retire from the military side of my federal job. At that time I will have 11 years as a federal employee, and with making the deposit on my active-duty military service, I will have just shy of 17 years in the federal system. I was at a retirement seminar for FERS and was told the government would have to find me a job to keep me employed until I reach 20 years of federal service. 1. Is that true? 2. Do…
Q. I am a postmaster, age 51, with 26 years of service under FERS. I have been offered the VERA. The USPS has stated that in two years, if we haven’t been able to land another job in the executive and administrative schedule (EAS), we would be given a reduction-in-force notice and separated from service. Would I be eligible for an immediate annuity at that time under a Discontinued Service Retirement (DSR)? I realize I can’t touch TSP or receive the Social Security special retirement supplement because I will be only 53, but I would need to be able to…
Q. I am 52 with 28 years’ service in the Postal Service. I have been offered a VERA. If I don’t take the VERA, I can stay for two more years before I am part of a reduction in force. I have been told I will be eligible for discontinued service retirement after I receive my RIF notice. If events required me to defer retirement, would I be able to pick up health insurance when I am 56? Would I even be able to start the annuity at 56 or have to wait till I am 62? A. Whether you…