Q. I left federal employment some years ago. I had about 10 years of federal service. I’m now 63½. Are benefits retroactive to 62? Anything special I should do?
A. Assuming that you didn’t take a refund of your retirement contributions when you left government, you’ll be entitled to a deferred annuity, and those benefits will be retroactive to the date on which you were first eligible for the benefit. Go to www.opm.gov, click on forms, download a copy of OPM Form 1496, fill it in and mail it to the Office of Personnel Management.
