Q. I have asked Medicare directly why I need Medicare Part B. I am a 100 percent disabled veteran and a retired federal employee. As a 100 percent disabled veteran, I receive all medical care and prescriptions directly from the Veterans Affairs Department. No one seems to know if I do or do not need Medicare Part B other than to give the government a $100-a-month premium. Why can’t anyone answer this question? A. The reason no one can answer that question is because one size doesn’t fit all. Whether Medicare Part B is right or wrong for you is…
Browsing: Veterans Affairs
Q. I will be retiring under FERS at the age of 72 with 25 years of service. I draw my Social Security but not under disability. I have a case with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs open, but I don’t draw any money from them. I have checkups and medications under my case number. I want to retire no later than December. I don’t know if any disability I would get through Social Security would have to be offset by my civil service retirement. I have an Air Force retirement and I get so much from the Veterans Affairs Department due…
Q. I am 47 and receive a CSRS monthly annuity. I retired from the Postal Service after 26 years. If I accept a position at the Veterans Affairs hospital, how will that affect my annuity? A. The salary of your new position would be offset by the amount of your annuity. For example, if your annuity is $40,000 and the annual salary of your new position was $50,000, you’d receive a salary of $10,000.
Q. I am in the process of filing for FERS retirement. I currently have 30 years of civil service (GS-11), which includes three years and seven months of military service. I am being told by human resources that they cannot include the three years military time for Retirement Annuity Computation because I receive a check each month from the Veterans Affairs Department for a 30 percent disability rating (service-connected disability). Also, my leave and earnings statement (LES) shows that I have repaid the military time. I have sent human resources a letter from VA showing that I was removed from the temporary…
Q. My husband worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 12 years and went out on disability retirement at age 55. He recently passed away at age 60. As he did not reach the age of 62, he was never converted to a regular Federal Employees Retirement System retirement. I am told I may be eligible for a lump-sum benefit/refund of any monies paid into FERS. Is this worth applying for, or were his FERS contributions used to pay his disability retirement for the past five years? A. Assuming that you were married to him for at least 18 months…
Q: I am a retired federal employee and currently have health care coverage under one of the Federal Employee Health Benefits plans. I recently found out that I have multiple myeloma. I am also a Vietnam veteran, and after learning of my diagnosis, I found out that any Vietnam veteran who served on the ground in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975 and later developed certain diseases, including multiple myeloma, is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange herbicide and would be entitled to free health care for those diseases through the Veterans Affairs Department health care system. However, much…
Q: I am an 80 percent disabled veteran right now. I have applied for a Federal Employees Retirement System disability retirement, and they I was told it would take three to six months. Is that about the right time? I thought it would go through rather quickly. I went to apply for Social Security, but until I am not working, they can’t process my claim. Same thing with Veterans Affairs. I gave them an individual unemployment form, then they said I had to wait until I am not working. Is that right? I applied for Social Security under the Wounded…
Q: I am a Vietnam veteran with a disability rated at 40 percent. I will be 64 in September and plan on drawing my Social Security retirement benefits at that time. Will either one of these government plans be affected by the other? Also, do I receive any extra credit in my Social Security earnings for the 16 quarters served on active duty from 1966 to 1969? A: You will be able to receive both your Veterans Affairs Department disability pay and your Social Security benefit. Your Social Security benefit will be based on the number of credits you earned…