Q. What is the reason for veterans to buy back military time when still working for the government? In my case, I went from 6½ years active Navy (1984-1991) to the Postal Service (1993-present). Shouldn’t going from one federal agency to another federal agency be a continuation of service, and shouldn’t vets get a waiver since we were willing to sacrifice our lives for our country?
A. You must make a deposit because the law requires it. You aren’t going from one federal agency to another federal agency. If you were, your service, benefits and contributions to the retirement fund would transfer with you. Instead, you have moved from the military to the civilian workforce, each of which has its own retirement and benefits system.