Q. I have two questions: The first is about the special retirement supplement and law enforcement officers. Is it true that the earning limitation doesn’t start until LEOs reach their minimum retirement age? My second question: Can an LEO pay deposits and re-deposits, or buy back or waive military service to be creditable in an LEO computation for retirement? Or does the actual 20 years have to be worked?
A. An LEO who retires before reaching his MRA can continue to receive the SRS, regardless of how much he earns, until he reaches his MRA. With one exception, only actual service can be counted toward the 20 years needed to qualify for a law enforcement officer’s retirement. Here’s the exception: If your LEO employment was interrupted by a period of active-duty service and you returned to work as an LEO, that time will count toward the 20 years, as long as you make a deposit to the retirement fund for that time.
