Q. Can an agency offer Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay to affected employees after they have received their reduction-in-force notifications?
A. Of course. With a specific notice in hand, an employee who wants to retire early can have that notice attached to his retirement application, which will speed the process. Without it, there wouldn’t be any legal basis for approving early retirement. On the other hand, once an agency has the authority to offer a VSIP, an employee is free to accept it or not. Retirement eligibility isn’t an issue. Someone who isn’t eligible to retire can simply take the money and run.
