By Reg Jones
Incentive offered on retirement date
May 17th, 2013 | PAY RETIREMENT
Q. I retired on Oct. 1, 2012; a special incentive was offered the same day. The Office of Personnel Management said I would be eligible to take the incentive. I received a letter from HRSSC in November 2012 saying I was approved for incentive. How do I find out if I get a check this month?
Restored annual leave
May 17th, 2013 | Annual leave LEAVE RETIREMENT
Q. I want to retire in September and have restored annual leave which must be used before January 2014. Will I be paid for restored leave if I have not used it by my retirement date in September?
Military furlough and high-3
May 17th, 2013 | High-3 Military service deposits PAY
Q. I am a federal technician in the Air National Guard. I am in my last year of work as a GS-12, step 10. This will be my highest paid full year when it is complete. If I go on three months of orders and take a military furlough, will this still be counted as my highest tenured year according to the pay chart? Or is it actually on monies earned that counts toward my high-3?
Retiring in the middle of the month
May 17th, 2013 | Annual leave Creditable service: CSRS CSRS annuity computation FEHBP HEALTH INSURANCE RETIREMENT
Q. I am in CSRS. I want to retire Jan. 11, 2014, as I will be on a mission trip out of the country from Christmas until Jan. 9, 2014, and I would like to get paid for my unused annual leave for 2012. I understand that I will not receive a retirement check for that month since it is past the third day of the month. I have had Federal Employees Health Benefits coverage since Jan. 12, 2009. Does that qualify as five years of health coverage? What will happen to my health coverage for the rest of January as I won’t receive a check for that month?
Applying for Medicare Part B at a later date with no penalty?
May 17th, 2013 | FEHBP HEALTH INSURANCE Medicare RETIREMENT
Q. I’ve been retired from for a year and soon will be 65. I have to keep medical for my wife, so if I keep a family plan under Federal Employees Health Benefits, do I need to pay for Medicare Part B? If not, can I apply for it in the future without a penalty after my wife turns 65?
Substantial earnings
May 17th, 2013 | SOCIAL SECURITY Windfall elimination provision
Q. What is the definition of substantial earnings for purposes of the 30-year contribution requirement to eliminate any windfall elimination provision setoff?
Retirement application
May 17th, 2013 | RETIREMENT
Q. I am in CSRS. I plan to retire this summer with more than 37 years of service. I have heard conflicting comments about the correct time frame to submit retirement application. My HR expert said “the Office of Personnel Management will not accept paperwork prior to 30 days before retirement.” Is this true?
Creditable service
May 17th, 2013 | Creditable service: CSRS Creditable service: FERS RETIREMENT
Q. I work as a staff physician for the Veterans Affairs Department. I previously completed my four-year residency at a university that required extensive time working at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Do those four years count as government service toward my retirement?
Donated leave
May 17th, 2013 | Annual leave FERS annuity computation LEAVE RETIREMENT
Q. I would like to know if “donated leave” to a co-worker under the donated leave program will be added back to my time in service to calculate my retirement benefit under FERS. I was told that it would, but I have done exhaustive searches and can’t find it.
Early retirement?
May 17th, 2013 | Early retirement Military service deposits RETIREMENT
Q. I was just notified that my commander would like to meet to offer me early retirement. I am 51 years old but only have 12 years civil service. I retired from active duty with 20 years before that and am collecting my retirement. My position was eliminated over a year ago and I am thinking this is why it’s being offered. Any advice?
90 days’ notice to Social Security?
May 16th, 2013 | Benefits RETIREMENT SOCIAL SECURITY
Q. How much notice do I have to give Social Security before I apply? I will be 62 in June. Do I have to give them 90 days’ notice? I plan on retiring in October.
Unused sick leave
May 16th, 2013 | LEAVE Sick leave
Q. I am a federal employee planning to retire at the end of June, when I will have worked 39 years and one month. I have accrued 262 hours of sick leave and was told my sick leave would be attached to my retirement in increments of one month. I was also told that one month was valued at 22 days or 176 hours. If this is so, by my calculations, I would have 86 hours available to use at this point if I planned to carry 176 hours for additional retirement benefit. Of course, I will continue to accrue sick leave during these next two months while I am working. I just want to know how my sick leave is accounted for when it is added to my retirement. I want to make sure I don’t come up short of the month I have planned to add on.
VERA
May 16th, 2013 | annuity reduction DOWNSIZING Minimum retirement age RETIREMENT Special retirement supplement VERA
Q. I am nearly 48 with 23 years of service. If I were to accept a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, if one were offered when I turned 50, other than not receiving the special retirement supplement until I reach my minimum retirement age, what benefit is there if I wait until I am 56 with 30 years of service as opposed to 50 and 25?
Retirement date
May 16th, 2013 | Annual leave FERS annuity computation RETIREMENT Retirement date
Q. I will have 25 years of federal service at 66 years of age on Jan. 19, 2014. Would it be better to retire on Jan. 31, 2014, if the sole consideration is reducing the wait for being entered on the annuity roll? My understanding that I would be placed on the roll on Feb. 1, 2014. Is this correct?
Retirement eligibility
May 16th, 2013 | Eligibility RETIREMENT
Q. I am a CSRS employee who entered Veterans Affairs Department service Dec. 18, 1981, and have been employed there continuously. When am I eligible to retire? I will be 55 in January 2014.
FEHB coverage for disabled adult child
May 16th, 2013 | Coverage after retirement Eligibility FEHBP HEALTH INSURANCE
Q. My disabled adult child is covered under my Federal Employees Health Benefits. How can I ensure that she will remain covered by FEHB after I pass on?
Substantial earnings
May 16th, 2013 | SOCIAL SECURITY Windfall elimination provision
Q. Please define “30 years of substantial earnings.”
Term employees and step increases
May 16th, 2013 | EMPLOYMENT PAY Step increases term employee
Q. Do term employees get step increases automatically, or is it up to their supervisors to put them in for it?
Medicare Part B
May 16th, 2013 | Coverage after retirement FEHBP HEALTH INSURANCE Medicare
Q. I am a retiree from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., with health insurance. Turning 65. What happens about Medicare, and which insurance is primary? Does the health insurance turn to a supplement policy? Do you need Medicare A & B? I have only signed up for Medicare A.
Special retirement supplement
May 16th, 2013 | SOCIAL SECURITY Special retirement supplement
Q. From what I understand, the special retirement supplement is calculated as your Social Security estimated payment at age 62 divided by 40 times your number of years of service. Do you receive the full amount of Social Security when you reach age 62?