Q. I understand that if I resign from federal service after the age of 43 with only 20 years of law enforcement service and five years of non-LEO service that I will lose the opportunity for immediate annuity; I will not be eligible for deferred annuity until my minimum retirement age, which I believe is 57; I will lose my special Social Security annuity; and I will lose my life and medical benefits. If I decide to leave federal service at age 43, would I receive my annuity at the 1.7 percent LEO rate? Then, when I reach age 57 and apply for deferred annuity, would I get 39 percent of my high-3? Or do I lose my LEO eligibility and only receive 25 x 1.0 percent for a total of 25 percent of my high-3?
A. If you left government after you had 20 years of covered service, you’d be eligible for a deferred annuity when you reach your MRA. It would be computed using the more generous formula for law enforcement officers and firefighters. Any creditable service above 20 years would be computed using the standard formula.
As you noted, you wouldn’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement nor would you be able to re-enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan or Federal Employees Group Life Insurance.
