Little Green Men

Federal Times’ experts answer as many readers’ questions as possible but, due to the volume of e-mail, they cannot answer every question submitted. I’m debating whether buying back my military time is worth the cost with the changes to the current FERS program.   I made my decision to buy back my time base on the old retirement system. he will not answer questions about military benefits. Provide sufficient information about yourself — for instance, a question about retirement should say which retirement system you are in. &bull. Reg Jones, for example will answer questions about federal civilian benefits. Ask questions that have not previously been answered.

I remember there was a grace period in 1982 or 1983 that you could apply your military service time (in my case the two years and four months of Air Force time) to your CSRS retirement without having to buy it back. When I retired from the Air Guard, they counted the two years and four months of Air Force time toward my Air Guard retirement. If I can use the Air Force time toward my CSRS retirement, I realize I would have to buy the time back. Federal Times’ experts answer as many readers’ questions as possible but, due to the volume of e-mail, they cannot answer every question submitted. I was told by our DOT personnel department because of that, I cannot use my Air  Force time toward my CSRS retirement. 1, 1982, you have to make a deposit to get credit for that time, including accrued interest. In other words, it did not cost anything to get the time credited. Provide sufficient information about yourself — for instance, a question about retirement should say which retirement system you are in. &bull.

I also thought if you put in your retirement paperwork and still wanted to buy back military time, and you couldn’t afford the lump-sum payment just as you were about to retire, you could buy back the time by receiving a smaller monthly retirement... When the amount was paid in full, you’d start to receive your retirement based on the military time plus any other federal civilian time served. Federal Times’ experts answer as many readers’ questions as possible but, due to the volume of e-mail, they cannot answer every question submitted. Q: Is the only way to buy back military time is to pay the whole amount to FERS in a lump sum. Provide sufficient information about yourself — for instance, a question about retirement should say which retirement system you are in. &bull.

For example, the program allows military retirees who attended a military academy to buy back their academy service (pre-commissioning) time toward their retirement, which is not factored into military retirement benefits. The buy-back option allows veterans to apply those active-duty periods toward civil service retirement at the same time the reserve component allows those active-duty periods to be computed for military retirement. For those government employees who are military veterans, there is the option to “buy back” military service time and apply it toward civilian retirement. If a retiree buys back his or her service, and counts it toward federal civilian time, the veteran may forfeit military retirement benefits already earned.