Browsing: temporary continuation of coverage

Q. I was a federal employee for 26 years and, from 1987 onward, was under FERS. I left my last federal job in June 2009 at age 58, after having passed the minimum retirement age and having been enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan over the entire 26 years of my federal employment. In June 2009, I said that I intended to take a postponed retirement, some time after I reached age 60. It is my understanding that my enrollment in FEHBP was suspended at the time I left my last federal employment, in June 2009. I had…

Q. I am 52 years old and have 22 years of federal employment. Can I retire? If so, how soon can I receive monthly payments, and how much would they be reduced by?  How would this affect my Social Security benefits later? Also, how would this affect my medical insurance? A. Unless you are a special category employee, such as a law enforcement officer or a firefighter, you don’t meet the age and service requirements to retire. For FERS employees, these are: age 62 with five years of service, 60 with 20, at your minimum retirement age (MRA) with 30, and…

Q. I am 46 with 22 years of service, and have been told that I will soon receive a letter of directed reassignment to a job in my same grade far outside my commuting area. When the letter arrives, if I should decline to move to the new position, what are my options for drawing retirement? How about insurance? Severance pay? What about my 401(k) in the Thrift Savings Plan? My performance ratings are not an issue. A. Reg: Because you wouldn’t meet the age and service requirements to retire, you’d only have one option. If you didn’t take a refund of…

Q. I know one has to have Federal Employees Health Benefits for five years before one quits or retires to get this benefit. Does it have to be family coverage for five years, or can I change my self-only coverage to family in the last year before retirement? Can I change it after retirement? A. You can change from self-only to self and family and from self and family to self-only during any open season. The only requirement to carry your FEHB coverage into retirement is that you be covered continuously for the five years before you retire. Note: I…

Q. I know one has to have Federal Employees Health Benefits for five years before one quits or retires to get this benefit. Does it have to be family coverage for five years, or can I change my self-only coverage to family in the last year before retirement? Can I change it after retirement? A. You can change from self-only to self and family and from self and family to self-only during any open season. The only requirement to carry your FEHB coverage into retirement is that you be covered continuously for the five years before you retire. Note: I…

Q. I reach my minimum retirement age on Jan. 3, but I will only have credit for 29 years, which would give me a 25 percent reduction by taking retirement at this time. If I do a deferred retirement and retire at age 60, will that eliminate the penalty and allow me to collect the special retirement supplement at 60 also? Can I buy health insurance between 56 and 60 by taking a deferred annuity at 60? I have enough in the Thrift Savings Plan to collect about $36,000 a year for four years and still have well over $200,000…

Q. The person who processes retirements at my agency told me that I could not retire with 32 years at 51 years. I am an offset employee under CSRS. I thought the Office of Personnel Management indicated that if you retire before 55 years of age, you are penalized 1/6 (no more than 2 percent for the first year and 2 percent for every after for being under 55. So, I resigned. It’s only been a few days. The agency person said I could only retire at this age if they were offering a buyout. That seems right because I was offered…

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 currently retired (CSRS) and have single coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan. My spouse is still employed by the federal government (FERS) and has single coverage under FEHB. We were both under my family plan until our youngest child became ineligible. We then went to self-only plans because the premiums were less together than the family plan. She will be eligible for retirement in three years. She is also considering simply quitting before then and taking a deferred retirement when she is eligible. I am not covering her for spousal annuity, nor will she be covering me. We…

Q. I am 56 years old with five years in FERS and government health care. If I left early on a buyout or a reduction in force, would I be able to keep government health care? Would I be restricted from working for a government contractor? A. You wouldn’t be able to keep your coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. However, you would receive 30 days of free coverage in your plan. You would then have the option of extending your coverage for up to 18 months under the temporary continuation provision of law, for which you’d pay 100 percent of…

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