Q. I am a civilian working for the Air Force and we keep hearing about an early-out possibly in spring 2014. I am an engineer and have been with the government for 22 years. I am 56, so I meet the age 50 and 20 years of service, but as far as I know, the government does not typically offer an early-out to some of the critical positions such as engineers. Is it possible that this could change? It seems unfair that certain series would not also get that option.
A. Fairness has nothing to do with it. The goal is to eliminate positions that aren’t needed to carry out an agency’s current goals and missions. Offering early retirement opportunities to employees in needed occupations would result in the agency either hampering its mission or having to turn around and hire replacements.
