Q. My mom retired from government services on Nov. 1 because of dementia. She just had a birthday and is now 65. The government is giving her the run around, saying she can’t withdraw and if she goes into a hospital the money returns to the government. She is trying to get her money because she is progressing fast with this illness. Who can we call or hire to look into this?
A. Ignore what “people” say. If your mother wants a withdrawal from her vested TSP balance, she should submit a properly completed Form TSP-77 or TSP-70. That will either elicit a distribution or a written response explaining why a distribution is not authorized.