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Three on, one off |
Greetings all, I am amazed on a daily basis with the immense pool of knowledge the members bring to this forum. I figured I would start my research on this topic here: My wife had 13 years of service in the US Army, all active duty, beginning enlisted and then becoming an officer in the Nurse Corps. She got out in 2000. She is currently looking at a nursing job at the local VA, which would be federal employment. Do her 13 years count toward federal retirement? If so, can she retire with a pension after 7 years with the VA, meaning 20 years total federal employment? Would she have to purchase those prior active duty years? We are trying to see how feasible it would be to transition back to a federal job. Thanks in advance! | ||
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| Freethinker |
I can’t answer some of the questions, but when a relative took a buy-out(?) from the Army and later went to work for the Postal Service, his active duty time counted toward his Federal pension. But that’s a question I’d put directly to the agency she’s thinking of working for to ensure she has the current information. ► 6.4/93.6 “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” — Plato | |||
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| Help! Help! I'm being repressed!  |
She would be able to buy back that time. It would count towards her retirement, but she would still have to work at the VA for at least 20 years before retiring. So if she bought back the time and had a 25 year career with the VA she would be credited with 38 years of federal service. | |||
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The Unmanned Writer |
Here's what I think I learned after retiring from the Navy with 23 years; the service time (and disability) counts towards the hiring process and initial grade hired into. I think (as painful as that is sometimes) federal employment as non-military, starts over with regards to "retirement" time. That is, she'd need to work at least 20 years as a civilian before retiring. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. "If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own... | |||
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| Help! Help! I'm being repressed! |
Here are a couple of links you might want to look at. https://www.opm.gov/retirement...rmation/eligibility/ https://www.dfas.mil/civiliane...edeposits/estimator/ | |||
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| Member |
She can buy back the time and once she reaches minimum retirement age, she can retire. | |||
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| Member |
Skull Leader posted a handy link about "buying back" military service. But she'll have to do some math to determine if it's worth it. I served three years as an EM in the Army 1968-71, my gross for that period was (IIRC) under $9K. When I began federal civil service in 1983 I made the deposit to get credit for those years, I'm certain it was under $1K with the interest. I have the precise figures somewhere but no energy to dig for them. Since your wife served as enlisted and officer, her total gross will be more and so will her deposit. Once HR or DFAS determines the amount of the deposit, then she has to do the math to determine if it's cost-effective for a 20 year (13 mil & 7 civ) career. | |||
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| Member |
Going in a totally different direction. If she could do 7 more years in an active reserve component of the military, she would then have 20 qualifying years for a retirement. At age 60 she would then be able to get a monthly retirement check with survivor benefits and Tricare health insurance for herself and spouse. 13 Years of active duty retirement points would lead to a very large retirement check. _________________________ "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." Mark Twain | |||
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| Member |
wcb has a great point. Seven more years in the reserves will get her good benefits at age 60. I know, mine started ten years ago. And she can also work for the VA and maybe buy back her 13 years active duty time. Not sure where you are in MI, but most Air National Guard or AF Reserve wings have Medical Groups and they treat people better. After my three years active duty Army I later joined the ANG and at the same time had a separate federal civil service career. | |||
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His Royal Hiney |
I had military service and then went into Federal Civil Service. Her military service will be counted as part of her Federal retirement BUT ONLY if she gets the minimum 5 year civil service. I thought I'd have a small Federal pension for Bingo money at least but I learned I was 3 months short of 5 years. At the time, they were closing the shipyard and I left for a regular job. Oh well. "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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| Three on, one off |
Such good information, as expected! Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful responses. We are in the western Michigan area near Grand Rapids. The reserve component is tempting. However, she is 52 and her first question was “what are the PFT requirements?” LOL, she hates running. The cost to buy the military years is pretty steep. Wasn’t thinking it would be… | |||
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| Three on, one off |
She could easily do 7 years of federal civil service (she’d be close to 60). If she did that, would she have to purchase her 13 years? Would the federal pension include any medical insurance? | |||
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| His Royal Hiney |
I only googled your questions since I lost interest when I learned I don't qualify. The medical insurance has some additional requirements like immediately retiring with benefits upon separation and being covered for the last 5 years prior to termination. Link The purchase is also complicated but I think you make out, however much you have to pay into it. I know when I was still in Federal service, they did away with double-dipping (getting military retirement pay and civil service retirement pay). link "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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Member |
Interesting. I am in receipt of both military retired pay AND FERS civil service retirement pay. I had two separate and distinct careers. One cannot use military service where one is receiving retirement pay when computing civil service time. As others have stated, if not in receipt of military retirement pay, one can "buy back" their military time and add it to their civil service time. Depending on pay and time in service, it could be a sizeable amount. Look for Standard Form 144. If you elect to do this, do it immediately upon beginning civil service employment. Retiring from FERS allows one to keep your Federal Employees Health Benefits, if you qualify. It's not bad to have as a second payer to Medicare. _________________________________________________________________________ “A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.” -- Mark Twain, 1902 | |||
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| Member |
You can also buy back military time even if you are receiving a military retirement check but you forfeit the check. | |||
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| Three on, one off |
Thanks Rey, 229DAK, and ulsterman! Good tips and advice! | |||
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| Member |
Here's a recent article about the military redeposit. Ignore CSRS info, she will be in FERS. https://www.fedsmith.com/2021/...ke-military-deposit/ | |||
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