Under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), there are four types of retirement; voluntary, early, deferred, and disability. Over the next few weeks, we will look at the eligibility requirements, annuity computation, and special provisions for each. This post...
Stress is found in every workplace, home, relationship, and part of life in general. One of the requirements for qualifying for federal disability retirement is having a medical condition that disqualifies you from performing useful and efficient service. Meaning,...
If you are a federal or postal worker and have found that you can no longer perform the essential duties of your job because of an injury or illness, you may find yourself in the world of filing for federal disability retirement. Applying for federal disability...
Often, service credit and creditable service are used interchangeably. While they do have similarities, they are classified as two different types of credit. A previous post looked at what creditable service is. This post will look at the differences between CSRS and...
If you have left, or are leaving federal service, before becoming eligible for retirement, you have a couple of options. First, you can ask to have your retirement contributions returned to you in a lump sum. Or, if you have at least 5 years of creditable service, you...
When it comes to retirement, or the time leading up to it, planning is key! This cannot be stressed enough. Being unprepared for this time in your life may leave you with less income. Whether you want to travel the world in retirement or learn a new hobby, make sure...
Federal Disability Retirement is a great benefit for injured and ill federal workers who are having trouble doing their job in at least one area. Maybe that looks like a nurse not being able to stand on his feet for longer than 30 minutes at a time because of his back...
Whether you’re a CSRS or FERS retiree, life events can have a significant impact on your retirement annuity. This post will focus on retirees under FERS. First, let’s look at what qualifies as a life event. Life events are anything that changes your situation or...
There is often confusion between a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and a pay raise. While they both provide an increase in payments, whether annuity or income, they are very different. So, what is a COLA and what is a pay raise? COLA’s Cost of Living Adjustments are...
Effective as of November 14, 2016, The Office of Personnel Management told benefits officers that corrections on certain forms and sections will no longer be accepted. These corrections include using white out and strike-throughs. Instead, the entire form will need to...
Planning for retirement can be a scary time. Many questions surround people as they start to think about retirement; Can I even afford to retire? When should I retire? Can I still have insurance coverage? Do I have to elect beneficiaries? Those, along with other...
Here at Harris Federal Law Firm, we help countless federal workers who are members of a union. Additionally, we offer discounts to those who are affiliated with one. Unions have the power to impact pay, work hours, benefits, and workplace safety. A couple of the...
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