Q: I am a reservist and had 8 1/2 years of civilian federal service (under FERS) when I was recalled to active duty right after 9/11. I have been a reservist on active duty for the past 10 years and am still on leave without pay status (LWOP) with the agency I was recalled from. How long would I have to return to the agency in order to make a deposit on my 10 years of active duty? I have about 80 hours of leave on the books. Is there a certain time period that I would have to return to the agency to…
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Q: I have just been offered a GS job that I plan to start in a couple of months. However, I have a unique situation. I have the opportunity to retire in September and start receiving my retirement pay immediately because I will have obtained more than 20 years of total combined active-duty time during my 29+ years of active duty and reserve service. So, basically I can begin receiving my retirement immediately beginning in October 2011 even though I have not reached the 60 years of age that is normally required for reservist retirement because of the “sanctuary” provision…
Q: If I buy back my active-duty military time to put it toward my Federal Employees Retirement System retirement, do I then lose that time toward my Navy Reserve retirement? A: No. Making a deposit for your period(s) of active-duty service will have no affect on reserve retired pay. You’ll get full credit for that time.
Q: I am a reservist with 33 years of service, six of which were active. I purchased that time back before I became a Federal Employees Retirement System employee. I spent four years in the reserves that were not covered in my computation date. A typical year has about 50 points for reserve weekends, then active duty for training (two weeks) and occasionally longer schools and so forth. What periods of reservist time can be bought back? A: You can’t make a deposit to get credit for any reserve time, only periods when you were called to active duty. However,…
Q: Just wondering what happened to the lawsuit about reservists having to take military leave days on their days off. I was a reservist from 1991 to 2007. I don’t think it really affected me more than 2-3 years, but I’m still interested. A: You are referring to the 2003 opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. It held that agencies should have allowed 15 workdays of military leave for reserve training each year instead of 15 calendar days, which was the practice before the law was amended on Dec. 21, 2000, to allow reservists…
Q: I have eight years of active-duty service and 10 years with the reserves. What part of that time counts toward the Federal Employees Retirement System? I was also recalled to active duty for an eight-month period and want to know whether I can add all this time. A: Your active-duty service in the armed forces will only count if you make a deposit to the civilian retirement fund. You have already received credit for any two-week periods of annual active duty for training, which for leave purposes have been treated as if you were still on the job. Reserve…
Q: I’m confused by what I’m reading regarding forfeiting military retirement pay. In some cases, your answer states the individual will not lose his military retirement pay if he buys back the time. Other answers say that the individual must waive his military retirement. Do only the 20-year active-duty retirees forfeit military retirement pay? I’m a reservist who will retire in three years at my 20-year total service mark, 11 of which were active duty. I’ve been offered a GS position that I am considering. I would like to receive credit for those 11 years, and it appears that my…
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement Service employee and bought back many years of military service. Since Sept. 11, 2001, I have been called back to active service enough times to get an immediate military retirement (22 years) as a reservist. What will this do to my FERS retirement? I have paid all my military time in FERS. A: It won’t make a difference. You’ll be able to receive both your FERS annuity and reserved retired pay with no reduction in either.
Q: I understand that active-duty time counts, but do weekend drills and the two-weeks-a-year tour also count toward retirement? A: No, they don’t. You are already receiving credit for your two-week periods of active-duty training, which are treated for accounting purposes as if you were still on the job. Weekend drills are generally on your own time. If one were to fall on what would otherwise be a work day, it would be treated in the same way. Simply stated, you can’t get credit twice for the same period of time.