Q. You have indicated that when an early out is offered, Federal Employees Retirement System employees with more than 25 years are eligible at any age. So in theory, a potential annuitant could easily be less than 50. If the employee is not at the mandatory retirement age but has the 25-plus years of service accepts the offer, is he or she entitled to the Social Security makeup benefit? If not immediately, when?
A. Unless they are special category employees, such as law enforcement officers, they won’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement until they reach their minimum retirement age. MRAs range between 55 and 57, depending on the year of birth.
