Q. I am a federal employee who was a temporary firefighter for two years, then because of the hiring freeze, I was let go. I have been rehired under FERS-RAE. I was told that I can buy back my previous two years. Can I? If I buy the time back, can I be placed back into the FERS retirement system or do I have to stay in the FERS-RAE?
A. No, you can’t be placed in FERS because you don’t meet one of the exceptions. Even if you make a deposit to get credit for that temporary service, you’ll remain in FERS RAE.
