Q. I am a firefighter working a 72-hour week. I am thinking of retirement. I have been working 25 years six months and am 50. Is there a limit on what you can make and still draw the Social Security supplement? A. You’ll be subject to the Social Security earnings limit, but only after you reach your minimum retirement age. For you, that will be age 56.
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Q. Who is eligible for phased retirement under the bill that Congress passed that will allow retirement-eligible federal employees to work part time? A. The law applies to anyone who has met the age and service requirements to retire on an unreduced annuity except for law enforcement officers — including Customs and Border Protection, Capitol Police and Supreme Court officers — firefighters, nuclear materials couriers and air traffic controllers, all of whom face a mandatory retirement age. However, the decision on whether to use the new authority rests solely with the employee’s agency.
Q. I was in the Marine Corps for 9½ years. I have been working as a public relations specialist with the Veterans Affairs Department for two years. I am applying for an assistant fire chief position with VA based on my experience in my volunteer fire department. If I got this position, what retirement plan would I fall into and would my military or VA time be credited? A. If you were hired into a firefighter position, one subject to the more generous retirement provision, none of your previous service (military and civilian) would be creditable toward the 20 years…
Q. I have 27+ years as a federal firefighter (72-hour weekly shifts) and planning retirement Nov. 30 (at age 54). My date of hire was July 1985, which gives me 27 years and four months. For calculating my estimated Social Security supplement, I was told that 1985 would not count because it wasn’t a full year and 2012 would not count because I am not working a full year also. My credible time for federal Social Security supplement = 26 years even though I have 27 1/3. For example, Social Security estimate $1400 divided by 40 = $35. $35 x…
Q. I am a federal firefighter GS-12 and am facing mandatory retirement in 15 months. I have been offered another job on base that is not in the 0081 category but is still a GS-12. I could work past 57 in this position, but will I lose my 1.7 percent annuity for my first 20 years if I accept this position? I have 26 years and am only getting 1 percent per year now. A. Your 1.7 percent annuity multiplier for 20 years of firefighter service is locked in. No matter what kind of job you take, it won’t have…
Q. I worked 20 years and two months in a covered firefighter position. I then worked two years in a non-covered position. I have returned to a secondary covered position. Do I face mandatory retirement? Or does my break in service allow me to work past 57? Where would I find the answer in the federal regulations or is this decided by case history. A. Yes, you will face mandatory retirement. Go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C046.pdf and scroll down to Section 46A3.3-2B1, which applies to both CSRS and FERS LEOs and firefighters. Note: That section hasn’t been updated to show that the…
Q. I am looking into medical retirement after 32 years with the federal fire department. At this time, the Air Force doc has not cleared me to work because of some prescription meds that I take on my off days. I’m going in for thumb surgery for arthritis. I also have lower back pain, and four vertebrae are not in the greatest health. I had Blue Cross/Blue Shield before, and when I got married, I dropped it because my wife’s medical insurance was better than mine. But she lost her job and is now disabled, too, and had to get BC/BS for the…
Q. Under my current position description as an Integrated Resource Crewmember, I am required to sustain my arduous level of firefighter qualification. Does this qualify me for secondary firefighter retirement? I have a little over three years as a primary and switched to this position which does not have secondary firefighter retirement? A. To be eligible for the special retirement benefits for firefighters, you would have to have 20 years of service, starting in a primary position and either staying there or moving directly into a secondary position. Your agency is the one that will determine if your current position qualifies you for…
Q. I am a firefighter for the Department of the Army. I was hired at age 41 and will be 61 at the end of my career. I understood that I would be able to retire with 20 years of service, and not be forced to retire at age 57. Could you please help me find the documentation that states this? A. You’ll find what you are looking for at www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C046.pdf. Scroll down to Section 46A3.3-2B2.
Q. I am a federal firefighter with 19 years in. I am shy of three months until I am eligible to retire with my 20 years. I have been told that I am not fit for duty because of some health issues and that I will not be able to retire in August as I had planned. I am being told that I will be let go and that I need to apply for disability. I had 13 years active duty as a firefighter (I already paid back my 13 years). I am also a 10-point veteran. I am trying…