Special Provisions
Some federal employees have very demanding jobs, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers, that may be covered under FERS Special Provisions and are allowed to retire earlier than other FERS employees without suffering penalties to their benefits. Special Provisions employees become eligible for retirement at age fifty with at least twenty years of Special Provision service, or at any age with at least twenty-five years of service, at least twenty of which must be Special Provisions service.
Mandatory retirement ages apply for Special Provisions employees, meaning air traffic controllers are forced to retire at age fifty-six, while firefighters and law enforcement officers must retire at age fifty-seven.
Some Law Enforcement Officers are eligible to receive Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) which is an extra 25% additive to their annual base salary. This benefit may also be used in the high-3 portion of their annuity calculation.
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