Example: Individual retires after 20 years of active duty. Then works an additional 20 years as a Federal employee under FERS. Never attempts to “buy back” their active duty time and prefers to draw both their military pension and their FERs pension (when they are eligible).

The veterans I’ve spoken to (not drawing a military pension because they didn’t stay in for 20 years) claim that drawing both pensions would be “double dipping” and therefore not possible. The veteran retirees (drawing a military pension while working as a fed) claim that they would be paid both the FERs pension and military pension because they earned their military pension and a FERs pension because they paid 4.4% of their pay into FERs during their federal career.