Q: I'll be 62 on July 14, 2010, with 23 years in the New York State Teachers' Retirement System. I am in Tier 4. Can I request to retire on or after the day on which I become 62, and then get full retirement benefits, without having to work the following year? According to our contract, I must retire by July 1 of the year of the anticipated retirement in order to be compensated for a proportion of my unused sick leave. If I retire in June, will I receive less than my full retirement benefit because I will still be 61? Do I need to ask my district to allow me to retire on or after July 14, or must I work another year in order to receive my full benefit?

A: In Tier 4 you are eligible to retire without penalty if you are at least 62 years old and have at least 20 years of credited service. You do not have to work another year because your birthday is in the summer. You can resign from the district for purposes of retirement at the close of the school year. I suggest you set up a video consultation in your geographic area with a TRS representative at (800) 348-7298, ext. 6100. The representative will inform you whether it is financially beneficial for you to retire on your birthday with no penalty, or to retire July 1 with a small penalty (that means your pension would include those 13 extra days).

Q: This is in response to a letter in your Feb. 28 column regarding the relative merits of crediting Peace Corps service vs. military tours of duty during peace time. I served in the Peace Corps in Uganda during the bloody military coup of Idi Amin. Although our lives were in real danger, the U.S. government had no plan to evacuate us in an emergency. We were left to fend for ourselves. I carried no weapons and had no combat training, but found myself having to confront soldiers on behalf of students at the school where I taught to keep them from being used as human shields. Over the years, many Peace Corps volunteers have lost their lives serving their country. The purpose of the Peace Corps and the military is, ultimately, to prevent war and promote the cause of peace. There should be no distinction between the two.

A: We absolutely agree with you! There should be no adversarial ranking in NYSUT's attempts to garner more benefits for our members.

Q: I'm a teacher in New York state and previously taught in New York City schools for 11 years. I just learned about the 55/25 option signed into law for NYC employees.

I checked the state TRS Web site and it mentioned that it does not apply to the state system and likely may not ever. I'm 46 years old and the 55/25 option would serve me well. I'm considering returning to the NYC schools. Any suggestions?

A: No suggestions, but here is something you may not be aware of: NYSUT is urging the Legislature to approve a statewide bill to allow 55/25 at no cost to the member. The NYC law was part of a salary negotiation with the United Federation of Teachers (NYCTRS is a one-district, one-union arrangement as contrasted with the state TRS, which is multi-district and union locals.) NYC members must pay for the 55/25.

Note: In the March 13 column, a member asking about returning to the classroom included a misstatement about vesting in our system. Probably due to his absence from teaching, he did not realize that the 10-year vesting period has been reduced to five years, thanks to NYSUT's VOTE-COPE activities.