The following is a question submitted by a reader to Federal Times columnist Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service and the resident expert on federal employee retirement issues.
A Fed Times reader asks:
“I am buying back 17 years of military time. Am I eligible for retirement after 3 years of civilian service or do I have to do 5 years of civilian service to be vested and thus eligible for retirement?
I have got conflicting information.”
Reg’s response:
You have to be vested in the retirement system before you can retire. To meet that requirement, you have to have 5 years of federal civilian service.
Got a question for the Federal Times expert? Send inquiries to: fedexperts@federaltimes.com.
