Q & A
I just received my first disability payment. How long will I continue to get them?
Answer: In most cases, you will continue to receive benefits as long as you are disabled. However, there are certain circumstances that may change your continuing eligibility for disability benefits. For example: Your health may improve to the point where you are…
I have a 38-year-old son who has been disabled by cerebral palsy since birth. I plan to apply for retirement benefits. Will he be eligible for benefits as my disabled child?
Answer: Yes. In general, an adult disabled before age 22 may be eligible for child’s benefits if a parent is deceased or starts receiving retirement or disability benefits. We consider this a “child’s” benefit because we pay it on the parent’s…
My wife and I are covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan, but do not have Medicare Part B. She is 77 and I am 83. Consequently, to enroll in Part B now would be cost prohibitive. We are currently enrolled in an HMO, so Part B is not a problem. If we were not in an HMO, how much would we be penalized if we were in a service benefit plan without Part B? For example, if we were in Blue Cross Standard, what additional costs would we incur without Part B?
Answer: You’ll have to go to www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information and when the map appears, click on your state, then click on Compare Plans. You can then download individual plan brochures and look for the section on Medicare. Unfortunately, none of the brochures will…
Please confirm, due to a mandatory retirement age of 57, if an individual decided to change from a law enforcement officer (1811) position to a non-LEO position after completing 20 years of LEO service, at the end of the non-LEO employment, the individual still qualify to retire as a LEO?
Answer: Correct. Source: Reg Jones, FederalTimes.com – January 11, 2014
I paid in for my military time. Can I get it back? When I retired I paid in over $6,000 for military time thinking I may be eligible for Social Security. I am not eligible (short two years). Can I get a refund of that money I paid in?
Answer: No, you cannot. Source: Reg Jones, FederalTimes.com – January 11, 2014
Disability Retirement Question – Calculation of Accumulated Years After Disability Retirement
Full Question: I am 46 years old and coming up on 23 years of federal law enforcement service. Under our retirement calendar, we must retire at age 57. I could retire voluntarily at 49 with 25 years of service. I am…
My wife has received Social Security disability for several years because of a progressive illness. Her health recently took a turn for the worse, and we were wondering if she might receive a larger amount because of this.
Answer: Best wishes to your wife, but declining health will not change her SSA disability amount because it is based largely on her earnings while still working. SSA disability requirements include both having enough work and meeting a strict medical definition…
I am retiring under CSRS in February. With my three years, 11 months and 10 days in the Navy, plus sick leave, I will have 42 years and eight months CSRS and be 62 years and five months old. On advice of our HR office, I never paid my military deposit back since I was planning on retiring federal and only had 31 Social Security credits. I have looked in the Office of Personnel Management site and the Fedweek CSRS retirement manual and neither says it will not reduce my annuity if I don’t pay the deposit. Can you help?
Answer: The answer is simple. Because you have already reached age 62, if you are eligible for a Social Security benefit when you retire, those three years, 11 months and 10 days will be eliminated and your CSRS annuity recomputed without…
My wife has received Social Security disability for several years because of a progressive illness. Her health recently took a turn for the worse and we were wondering if she might receive a larger amount because of this.
Answer: Best wishes to your wife, but declining health will not change her SSA disability amount because it is based largely on her earnings while still working. SSA disability requirements include both having enough work and meeting a strict medical…
WEP vs. GPO
Full Question: Recently, a colleague and I were reading your Dec. 2 article “Don’t let these 5 mistakes disrupt your plans.” Your statement on number 5 (not accounting for the government pension offset) leaves us wondering. We are under CSRS and retiring this…