Q. What is the difference between VERA and VSIP?
A. The Voluntary Early Retirement Authority allows employees to retire early if they are age 50 with 20 years of service or any age with 25. The Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment can be made to any employee who leaves government, whether he is eligible to retire or not. VERAs and VSIPs are often offered at the same time, with the VSIP being narrowly targeted to positions the agency wants to restructure or eliminate.