Q. I am a civilian federal firefighter. I bought back 12 years of active-duty military time into FERS. I will have 25 years total (12 military and 13 civilian) when I am 43 years old. Can I retire at that time since firefighters can retire at 25 years of service at any age, even though only 13 of those years are as a civilian?
A. No, you can’t. You would have to have 25 years of actual firefighter covered service to retire under the special provision.
