Browsing: EMPLOYMENT

Q. I’m a FERS employee. Before I got a career position, I was in a temporary appointment for a year. I’ve been told that I could buy back my temp time by making a deposit to the retirement system. Is that true? A. Unfortunately, no. Under FERS, periods of non-deduction service performed on or after Jan. 1, 1989, aren’t creditable for either length of service or annuity computation purposes.

Q. I’m a former federal employee. I received a buyout when I left three years ago. Can I be rehired on a term-appointment basis without paying back that $25,000? A. No. According to OPM: “An employee who receives a VSIP and later accepts employment for compensation with the government of the United States within 5 years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VSIP to the agency that paid it – before the individual’s first day of reemployment.”

Q. I have worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 43 years. I retired in 2011 with a CSRS pension. Prior to USPS, and afterwards, I worked under Social Security. I believe I have the required 40 quarters. Will the Windfall Elimination Program affect my getting Social Security and how will it affect my pension? A. While the Windfall Elimination Provision will have no affect on your CSRS annuity, your Social Security benefit will be affected by it. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who is receiving an annuity from a retirement system – like CSRS –…

Q. I am a GS-12 Step 10 and applied for a temporary promotion GS-14 (as I had been a GS-14 many years ago and took a 14-year break in service); it was posted as NTE 1-4 years. If after three or more years they do not make the position (six of them) permanent, and I have to return to my GS-12 Step 10 position, do the three years count as my high-3? I want to retire in five years and the high-3 is a big deciding factor. A. Your high-3 will be based on your highest three consecutive years of…

Q. What is the difference between a temporary promotion and a temporary detail? A. A temporary promotion is intended to meet the temporary needs of an agency’s work needs when those services can’t be met by other means. To be temporarily promoted, an employee has to meet the same qualification requirements that are needed for the permanent promotion. He or she receives the higher graded salary for the period assigned and gains quality experience and time-in-grade at the higher grade level. The 120 days can be made noncompetitively. In other words, the employee doesn’t have to compete with other employees…

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…

Q. I have over 12 years of active duty service in the Army. I have accepted a job with a federal agency. I’ve been told that I can “buy back” my active duty time. How do I go about doing that? A. Yes, you can make a deposit for your active duty service and get credit for that time in determining your length of civilian service and have it used in your civilian annuity computation when you retire from the government. If you complete that deposit within two years after you come on board, you won’t be charged any interest on…

Q. I’m a 58-year-old FERS retiree who worked as a GS-1811. Can I be rehired as a GS-391? A. Yes, if you meet the qualification requirements. However, as a rule the salary of your new position would be reduced by the amount of your annuity. On top of that, your special retirement supplement would be reduced or stopped because of the annual Social Security earnings limitation. In 2019, that limit is $17,640.

Q. I’ve been talking with people who are already federal employees. Some of them are covered by FERS and others by CSRS. If I’m hired, will I automatically be enrolled in FERS or will I be able to choose which system I’ll be in? A. You won’t be offered a choice. All federal employees first hired on or after Jan. 1, 1987, and most employees first hired after Dec. 31, 1983, are automatically covered by FERS.

Q. I’m planning to retire from the U.S. Postal Service in October. I have no spouse who would be eligible for a survivor annuity. However, I do have a daughter. I would like for her to get my retirement pay. I worked hard for it and I don’t want it going back to the post office as unclaimed income. A. While you cannot name your daughter to receive a survivor annuity, you could elect to provide her with what is known as an insurable interest annuity, but only if you are in good health when you retire. If you make…

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