Can a medical retired combat injured veteran working for the Federal Government DoD- Army, buy back their service time to retire early?

CPL Robert Murafsky — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 19:08:44 -0400

I have heard both answers Yes and No. more so I have heard no because I was medically retired due to combat injury.

Thank you in advance.

Response by SrA John Monette made Sep 12 at 2024 2:30 PM

SrA John Monette — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 14:30:48 -0400

I believe so. I’d ask the HR people though

Response by SGM Jeff Mccloud made Sep 12 at 2024 2:31 PM

SGM Jeff Mccloud — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 14:31:44 -0400

You should be able to

Waiving Military Retirement
Most military retirees are barred from receiving credit toward a civilian annuity unless they waive their military retired pay.
You cannot receive credit for any military service in your FERS retirement computation, if you are receiving military retired pay, unless you were awarded the retired pay:
Due to a service-connected disability either incurred in combat with an enemy of the United States or caused by an instrumentality of war and incurred in the line of duty during a period of war, or Under the provisions of Chapter 1223, Title 10, U.S.C. (pertaining to retirement from a reserve component of the Armed Forces).
https://www.opm.gov/fedshirevets/current-veteran-employees/federal-retirement/

and see handbook:
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/publications-forms/pamphlets/ri90-3.pdf

Federal Retirement

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Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Sep 12 at 2024 3:49 PM

SP5 Peter Keane — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:49:55 -0400

Early retirement generally requires the agency to be going through a major reorganization or reduction in force, so unless that is the case, the rest of your question becomes moot.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Sep 13 at 2024 8:14 AM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 08:14:33 -0400

The short answer is yes but you would need to work with your HR dept to get all the paperwork sorted out and get the fine print details ironed out.

One option you have is that you can apply for retirement due to medical reasons. I am also a Federal Employee and have seen many Disabled Veterans/Military Retirees get their Federal retirement expedited due to their medical issues.

You need to have a sit-down with HR to verify your options and get a roadmap planned out.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-early-retirement-authority/

Voluntary Early Retirement Authority

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Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Sep 13 at 2024 11:02 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 11:02:01 -0400

Appears you are eligible, BUT, you have to pay for it. There are calculators that will give you an estimate. Under FERS, I had to put out 4% of the base pay total. There was a 3 year grace period on interest for the payback once I hired on. Presuming you have a few years or so of lower level base pay, the "investment" will have a good return on the back end. My $10K buyback is getting me an extra $1300/mo. No brainer.

Response by MSG Gary Eckert made Sep 13 at 2024 11:59 AM

MSG Gary Eckert — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 11:59:20 -0400

I think the reason you are getting conflicting answers is two-fold. The first is terminology. Early Retirement is either an involuntary separation or a voluntary separation when an organization is undergoing a reorganization or RIF. More likely what you are inquiring about is retiring a your minimum retirement age (MRA). Most government employees covered by FERS refer to this as early retirement. You can use the service from your military buy back when retiring at your MRA but depending on whether your medical retirement is tied to a combat injury or combat veteran who was retired for a non-combat injury determines whether you will need to forfeit your military retirement when you buy back the service. Determining your MRA retirement can be difficult because there are normally reductions of 5 percent per year for each year you are under 62 and the age you are eligible is based on the year you were born. As an ACP you see the effects of different retirement dates on the GRB platform on the Army Benefits Center-Civilian. That platform also has retirement calculators that you can use to plug in specific retirement dates as well as benefit elections and projected accrued sick leave which is also taken into account in determining your retirement pay.

Response by PO1 Don Uhrig made Nov 6 at 2024 6:33 PM

PO1 Don Uhrig — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:33:48 -0500

This is really a question for the HR department of the agency that you are seeking employment with. If you are fully retired, meaning 20 years plus, it makes little sense to buy back your service time because you have to forfeit your retirement pay. That seldom makes financial sense. Any person considering this is an individual and each case is individualized based on your goals and your financial base.