Brother Brice Gomes and Sister Arlene Koh have both been approved for Employee Leave Donation. Brother Gomes continues his battle with cancer while Sister Arlene is working her way back to work. Both have run out of leave and need our assistance during this sensitive time. Anyone who can donate leave is asked to contact their BC or BC McCurtain and/or BC Asano.
Mahalo!
The Union would like to thank Brother Pete Breeze for providing this valuable information:
Here is how HR estimates the High 3 for calculating the pension/annuity for firefighters on a 72 hour workshift.
I just assumed that you take the GS level and Step across the OPM pay chart to get the annual pay. Then add the highest 3 consecutive years together; then divide by 3 to get the High 3 so that you can plug that amount into the EBIS estimator / calculator on the EBIS website to obtain an estimate of the annuity / pension. But after conferring with supervisors in HR in Virginia, the actual calculation takes into account we work 72 hours verses 40 which the OPM pay chart shows.
1. Each Year you look at the OPM pay chart (Google each year) to determine the highest consecutive 3 years. Find your GS level and Step and take that annual pay amount; divide by 2756 which equals the hourly firefighter RATE OF PAY. Round up the total.
2. Then take the hourly rate of pay and multiply by 144 which is the BIWEEKLY SALARY.
3. Take the biweekly salary and multiply by 26 payperiods, which is the income earned when determining High 3 for 72 hour firefighters.
4. Take the next consecutive OPM pay chart for the following year and do the same for the next High 3 consecutive pay, and again for the 3rd year. Total together and divide by 3 to give you the correct HIGH 3 pay to enter into the EBIS estimator / calculator on the EBIS website.
Example:
2014 Pay from OPM pay chart: $51,981
Divide by 2756 = $18,86103, round up to $18.86 RATE OF PAY.
Multiply by 144 = 2715.84 which is the BIWEEKLY SALARY.
Multiply by 26 = 70,611.84, round up to $70,612.
2015 Pay from OPM pay chart: $52,496
Divide by 2756 = $19.04789, round up to $19.05 RATE OF PAY.
Multiply by 144 = 2743.2, which is the BIWEEKLY SALARY.
Multiply by 26 = 71,323.20, round up to $71,323
2016 Pay from OPM pay chart: $53,163
Divide by 2756 = $19.28991, round up to $19.29 RATE OF PAY.
Multiply by 144 = 2776.76, which is the BIWEEKLY SALARY.
Multiply by 26 = 72,221.76, round up to $72,222
Total $70,612 + $71,323 + 72,222 then divide by 3 = 214,157 / 3 = $71,385. Plug this amount into the EBIS estimator and this should give you your estimated annuity and supplement.
Hope this helps everyone, if you enter the wrong High 3 in EBIS calculator it throws everything off.
Aloha, Pete Breeze
FIRE STATION T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST!
FIRE STATION T-SHIRT DESIGN WARS has officially begun. Posters will be distributed to each Fire Station, Prevention Division, Dispatch Center and Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA). Deadline is 29 September 2017. All submissions MUST be submitted to the Honolulu Fire Department Federal Credit Union. HFDFCU will be the official judges. WINNING DESIGN RECEIVES $250.00 cash. Only one entry per Fire Station. Spread the Word!
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