Q: I can retire in February with 31 years of service under the Civil Service Retirement System as a part-time/flex employee in the U.S. Postal Service. My “high-3” years were from 2006-2009. Will they use these years to calculate my annuity? Is it always the last years? Is it always three consecutive years, or is it the highest consecutive three years? As a PTF, my hours changed yearly as to how many offices I worked in. Also, when I was hired in 1979, I never heard of “buying back” or anything related. Since I made no deposits, or didn’t know…
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Q: My husband has been working for the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years. He is 53 years old. He is entitled to Federal Employees Retirement System benefits at age 56, but he wants to retire now due to health issues. Can he do that? A: The only way he could retire before reaching his minimum retirement age would be if he was approved for disability retirement. To find out if he is eligible, he’d have to file for disability retirement and, at the same time, file for Social Security disability benefits. His personnel office can help him do that.
Q: My husband passed away Jan. 25, 2009, and I’m receiving his Social Security benefits, as well as benefits from the U.S. Postal Service. If I remarry, will I lose the benefits from the USPS? I know I will still collect his Social Security. A: Unless you were to remarry before age 55, your survivor annuity wouldn’t be affected. If you did remarry before age 55, that annuity would be suspended. It could only be restarted is the marriage were ended by annulment, divorce or the death of the new spouse.
Q: If I received compensation for two years because of an injury at the U.S. Postal Service, does this delay my retirement for two years? A: If you were in leave-without-pay status while in receipt of workers’ compensation benefits, you’ll receive full credit for that period of time in determining your length of service and your high-3. LWOP while receiving Federal Employees Compensation Act, or FECA, benefits isn’t subject to the six-month limitation in a calendar year, as is other LWOP.
Q: For the 2010 year, what is the last day for U.S. Postal Service bargaining unit employees to reduce their annual leave to 440 hours? Is it Jan. 1, 2011? Is it true that the following year, we would have until Jan. 14, 2012? A: The 2010 leave year ends Jan. 1, 2011. The 2011 leave year ends Dec. 31, 2011, and the 2012 leave year ends Jan. 12, 2013.
Q: I am need to clarify whether disability retirement becomes nontaxable once a person reaches retirement age. I cannot get a clear answer from the Office of Personnel Management or the Internal Revenue Service. I have gone over IRS Publications 721 and 525. My father left the Post Office on disability in 1972. He is now 78 years old, and I am trying to file his tax returns. He is not eligible for Social Security. A: There isn’t a tax break for a federal disability retiree unless he is totally disabled for all gainful employment. The retiree’s age has no…
Q: This question is in reference to your Dec. 15, 2009, article, “It’s not too late to retire in 2009, or plan for 2010 or 2011” I am planning to retire in 2011; a co-worker is planning to retire in 2010. As per your article, it looks like the planets are lining up, as the leave year and calendar year will end at the same time. Both of us are Civil Service Retirement System employees and work for the U.S. Postal Service. The 2010 leave year ends Jan. 1, 2011. In the Postal Service, we can carry over 560 hours…
Q: I have been working at the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years. I am 58 years old, and I will retire very shortly. I know that I cannot collect the special retirement supplement under these conditions, but will I start to receive the supplement when I turn 60? Or does retiring under the Minimum Retirement Age +10 provision require me to forfeit the SRS totally? A: No one who retires under the MRA+10 provision is eligible to receive the special retirement supplement. That’s the law.
Q: I was retired medically from the Army with less than 20 years of service. My health improved enough for me to work at the U.S. Postal Service. I was then called back to active duty to complete my 20 years of service, serving an additional three years and eight months. I returned to the USPS in 2005. I retired from the Army with a military pension and Veterans Affairs Department disability of 50 percent. Can I still receive my military pension and VA disability and buy back only those years I returned to active duty to get credit for…
Q: I’m a U.S. Postal Service employee. For more than two years, I’ve been on periodic roll with the Labor Department. My physician’s report was disputed, and the Labor Department sent me to its physician. Eventually there was a referee physician picked by the Labor Department. The referee physician determined that I was unable to work until I had knee joint replacement. I’ve had five knee surgeries, four of them job-related, and at this time will not have the surgery. My question is, is it possible to be put on permanent periodic roll by the Labor Department, or do I…