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 will be retiring from the federal government shortly. I do not plan on taking social security until age 67.
If I would like to return to federal service and apply for federal jobs down the road (come out of retirement), would I apply as a “status” candidate since I worked for over three years previously? I know that I would have to come in as a reemployed annuitant.”
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Reg’s response:
No. Because you would be retired, you wouldn’t be a status candidate.
You could however, apply for a position and, if selected, rejoin the workforce. As a rule, the salary of your new position would be reduced by the amount of your annuity.
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Got a question for the Federal Times expert? Send inquiries to: fedexperts@federaltimes.com
Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service, is our resident expert on retirement and the federal government. From 1979 to '95, he served as an assistant director of the Office of Personnel Management handling recruiting and examining, white and blue collar pay, retirement, insurance and other issues. Opinions expressed are his own.