Q. I was furloughed last year with 8 months to go before being fully vested in my pension. My contributions were refunded to me. My question is twofold. If I return to public (nonmilitary service), would I be eligible for a pension after 8 months as if I never left? Am I entitled to have the contributions made by the government returned to my pension account that accrued during my prior employment that was lost to me when I was furloughed?
A. What you are really asking is if you would be vested in the retirement system, which takes 5 years of actual service. The answer is yes, but only if you were to redeposit the amount that was refund to you when you left.
