Disability and pension

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Q. I am a FERS employee who is on disability from the U.S. Postal Service, plus I am getting Social Security Disability Insurance. What will happen when I reach 62 and start getting my pension from USPS?

A. When you reach age 62, your FERS disability benefit will be recomputed as if you had worked to age 62. Therefore, your actual service will be added to the time you spent on disability. The total time will be multiplied by 1 percent (1.1 percent if you have at least 20 years of actual service and time spent on disability). That figure will then be multiplied by your high-3 salary on the day you were found disabled. That dollar figure will be increased by any cost-of-living increases paid to FERS retirees since you retired on disability. Receiving that annuity will have no effect your SSDI payments, which will continue uninterrupted.

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Reg Jones was head of retirement and insurance policy at the Office of Personnel Management. Email your retirement-related questions to fedexperts@federaltimes.com.

6 Comments

  1. Francisca delgado on

    I work for the post office for 19 years. I am on disability since 2012 and getting social security disability. I am retire this year will be 62 do the social security change ones I retire.

    • At age 62 your disability retirement will be converted to a regular retirement and will include any COLAs received by retirees since you went on disability retirement.

  2. Hi Ive been on disability retirement since 1996. 1096 per month and I receive medical basic and optional Life Insurance and SS they take out. I receive half of it to help live with. What amount will I receive for pension at in 2 yrs age 62? Does SS start too?

    • Assuming that you are covered by FERS, at age 62 your disability benefit will be recomputed as if you had worked to age 62. Assuming that the combined time equals at least 20 years, that time will be multiplied by 1.1 percent. The product will then be multiplied by your high-3 on the day you went on disability, increased by any COLAs you received while on disability retirement. You will also receive any Social Security benefit to which you are entitled.

  3. I am on FERS disability and turn 62 on August 12 2020..do they calculate my benefit at the disability rate for 12 days and recalculate regular retirement for those remaining 19 days or do they start Oct 1 for september and give you the disability for the full month of
    August

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