To any active, former, or retIred civilian federal employee:

If you are going to put in for social security, Number #1. Good Luck getting ahold of them.  Federal civilian employees who don't pay into social security, if collecting it, let social security know right up front you are or were a civilian federal employee.  And speak real slow and simple.  When you get your social security, hold a goodly some back, because social security, evidently, don't do math so well.  Determining social security benefits is very complicated - needlessly complicated - for federal employees.  And it's a real good idea to check their math, at the very least, every year.