Retirement Policy

Federal law enforcement officers (as well as certain other occupations such as firefighters and air traffic controllers) fall under special retirement rules requiring them to contribute more toward the retirement fund but also entitling them to retire earlier. Coverage is determined on a position-by-position basis, so there is no one definitive list of occupations that are covered as law enforcement positions, according to OPM.

However, it said that positions that typically qualify include:

• Border Patrol agents;

• Correctional Officers or Prison Support Staff working for Bureau of the Prisons, and Federal Prison Industries, Inc.; employees of the Public Health Service assigned to the Bureau of the Prisons, or Federal Prison Industries, Inc.; or civilian employees in the field service at the Army or Navy disciplinary barracks or at confinement facilities operated by any of the armed forces who are engaged in the detention of prisoners (i.e., Prison Correctional Officers, and employees in frequent direct contact with prisoners);

• Criminal Investigators;

• Customs Investigators;

• Deputy U.S. Marshals;

• FBI special agents;

• Federal Probation and Parole Officers;

• Instructors at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center(FLETC) (covered as secondary LEO positions);

• Law Enforcement Park Rangers;

• Office of the Inspector General investigators in various agencies;

• Park Police (Only if covered under FERS);

• Secret Service Agents (Only if covered under FERS);

• Secret Service Uniformed Division (Only if covered under FERS);

• TSA Sky Marshals;

• U.S. Marshals.

Positions that typically do not qualify include:

• Assistant U.S. Attorneys;

• Bureau of Engraving and Printing Police;

• DEA Diversion Investigators;

• DHS Federal Protective Service;

• DOD Police;

• GPO Police;

• Guards at Government buildings or other facilities;

• IRS Revenue Officers;

• Mint Police;

• Secret Service Special Officers;

• VA Police.