Q. I am a civilian employee with Defense Department under the CSRS retirement system. I am also retired from the Army and drawing retirement pay plus I am a disabled Vietnam veteran drawing a disability. My wife and I both draw Social Security (wife is 71 and I am 72). What portion, if any, of mine or my wife’s Social Security be affected? A. When you retire from your civilian position, your Social Security benefit will be affected by the windfall elimination provision if you have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security. And any spousal Social Security…
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Q: I served in the Air National Guard full-time WG-12 technician from March 1993 until January 2003 when I was deemed medically ineligible. I performed the same duties when doing military time as I did as a FERS employee but was given an OPM disability retirement because I lost my military status. I learned that there is Special Retirement Supplement to disability payments for law enforcement and military reserve technicians which is intended to bridge the income gap until Social Security eligibility is reached. Should I have been receiving this supplemental pay for the past eight years and would a…
Q: I’ve been on civil service disability retirement (OPM) since December 2004. Must I continue going in once a year to the doctor for a new ca-17? I’m never going to get better physically to where I can go back to work. I’ll be 61 this August 26. Will I lose my disability monthly income if I don’t get the ca-17 anymore? I did read where OPM doesn’t require you to schedule a medical evaluation after age 60, so would that also mean that unless your physically healthy enough to go back to work you would still receive your disability…
Q: I had 13 years of Social Security employment (max contribution) before entering CSRS Offset in 1991. My salary was always maximum Social Security contribution. I am 64 and considering retirement at age 66. Do CSRS Offset years count in meeting the 30 year requirement to avoid WEP? A: All years of Social Security-covered employment in which you had substantial earnings count toward the 30 years needed to avoid the windfall elimination provision.
Q. Can I be charged offsets on both Social Security & CSRS? A. Yes. Your CSRS annuity will be offset by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while employed under CSRS Offset. Your Social Security benefit will be reduced if you have fewer that 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security.
Q: I am an employee under the Civil Service Retirement System Offset program, and I plan on retiring at age 64. I know my annuity will be reduced for the period of time I was an offset employee. I have dealt with the local Social Security Administration office and I am concerned; they had no idea what the offset is. Does the Office of Personnel Management deal with SSA experts for the offset? A: OPM and the Social Security Administration have a file-matching system that allows OPM to accurately reduce a CSRS Offset annuity by the amount of Social Security…
Q: I will be 59 years and 8 months old with 37 years, 7 months of federal service on my target retirement date of Dec. 31. I only earned 33 quarters of Social Security; to earn more credit on Social Security, can paid annual leave be considered as Social Security income for the year 2012, because the paid annual leave is not included as Civil Service Retirement System income for the year 2011? If so, what is the procedure to report it as Social Security income? And will this only be applied at the end of the year of retirement,…
Q: I am getting ready to retire. I worked for the government from 1968 to 1972, then worked in the private sector and earned my 40 quarters in Social Security. I returned to work for the federal government in 1984 as a Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee. I was told that because I earned my 40 quarters from the private sector that my government annuity would not be reduced: I will get a full government annuity and a full Social Security check. Is that right? A: By law, your CSRS annuity will be reduced at age 62 by the…
Q: I had 13 years of Social Security employment (max contribution) before entering the Civil Service Retirement System Offset in 1991. I am 64 years old and considering retirement at age 66. Do CSRS Offset years count in meeting the 30-year requirement to avoid the windfall elimination provision? A: All years of Social Security-covered employment in which you had substantial earnings count toward the 30 years needed to avoid the windfall elimination provision.
Q: I’m a 28 year federal employee under CSRS, but I also paid into Social Security from 1963 until 1980. Assuming I ever retire, will I receive any Social Security benefits in addition to my federal retirement pay? A: If you have fewer than 40 credits (10 years) under Social Security, you won’t receive any Social Security benefits. If you have 40 or more, you will. However, because you will be receiving an annuity from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, you would be subject to the windfall elimination provision. The WEP would reduce your benefits…