Because of budget cuts, many federal agencies have reduced the number of pre-retirement seminars they have each year for regular civil service employees.  But the seminars are going strong in those with a heavy LEO-component (Law Enforcement Officers) because the retirement system is more complex.

So what makes LEOs so special, and how does their retirement program differ from yours as an employee of the IRS, Defense Department  or the  U.S. Postal Service? Short answer: a lot!

So how different is the LEO program?  John Grobe, president of Federal Career Experts, is today’s guest on the Your Turn radio show .  So far this year, about half of the pre-retirement seminars he’s done for federal agencies have involved LEOs.

Grobe explains the penalty-free pre-age 55 withdrawal benefit available to LEOs in the Thrift Savings Plan. And he explains the absence of a FERS supplement “earnings test” available to LEOs. Also, the difference in the COLA benefit for retirees under LEO.

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