|
7/15/10 - Special Union News
GAO Receptive to Requests for Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)
GAO management recently advised the Union that due to lower than expected attrition this year, it may exceed its FTE limits. GAO management has the authority to offer early outs on a case-by-case basis for up to 5 employees in each mission Team under GAO Order 2831.1. GAO employees can seek an early retirement at any time, and management has made it clear that they would be particularly open to voluntary early retirement authority (VERA) requests to help reduce the excess FTE level.
GAO is not offering incentive payments under VERAs. However, the VERA allows employees to retire at an earlier age and with less service than would normally be permitted. The VERA allows employees to retire at any age with 25 years or more of service or at 50 with 20 years of service. Employees covered under CSRS, the older retirement system, would normally have to wait until they were 55 with 30 years of service or were 60 with 20 years of service. Employees covered by FERS, the current retirement system, would normally have to wait until they had 30 years of service or were age 55 to 57, depending on the year they were born, and had ten years of service.
For CSRS employees retiring earlier than normally permitted, the VERA includes a 2% reduction in the annuity for every year below age 55. This is a permanent reduction that will be applied to the entire annuity, including payments after reaching age 55. For those covered by FERS, the VERA waives the penalty for early retirement which is a 5% annuity reduction for every year under age 62, unless the employee has 30 years of service or is age 60 with 20 years of service. FERS employees retiring under a VERA do not receive the FERS annuity supplement until they reach age 55 to 57, depending on their year of birth. This supplement represents what the employee would receive for his or her FERS civilian service from the Social Security Administration (SSA), and is paid until the earliest date the employee is eligible to receive benefits from SSA.
More information about early retirement and how to apply is available from GAO at this link. Moreover, your Union representatives can assist you in applying for an early retirement—you can contact any one of your representatives at this link.
Outlook Transition Continues: No Date Set for Deleting Archived Emails Older than 90 Days
As a reminder, the transition to Outlook is continuing. GAO has advised Union representatives that, some time after the Outlook rollout is complete, your archived emails older than 90 days will be deleted. However, GAO has not yet set a firm date as to when emails older than 90 days will be deleted after the rollout.
We have heard your comments about the need for archived emails, and have asked GAO management representatives for further information based on your questions. In the meantime, we are continuing to update our FAQ on the Outlook Transition.
|
