Q. I am a 55-year-old postal worker with 33 years of service, including six years of paid-back military time (27 years without). If I take an early out or VERA under FERS with an MRA of 56, will I receive the special supplement when I turn 56? Is the requirement lowered for the special supplement to 20 years instead of 30 years of FERS time? I realize my special supplement will be based on 27 years.
A. No, the minimum retirement age threshold for the special retirement supplement has remained the same since the passage of the act establishing FERS. It ranges between 55 and 57 depending on your year of birth. So, if you are offered early retirement and take it, you’ll be eligible to receive the SRS when you reach your MRA. Since you were born in 1957, that is 56.
