# First Responder Fair RETIRE Act: What It Does

This bill helps federal first responders and security personnel who get injured or become ill while doing their jobs. Right now, if a police officer, firefighter, air traffic controller, or similar worker gets permanently disabled on the job and can't do their original work anymore, they face a tough choice: they can either retire early with reduced benefits, or take a different job in the same agency but lose the special retirement benefits that come with their high-risk position.

The bill changes this by letting these workers keep their special retirement benefits even after they move to a different job. Here's how it works in practice: imagine a Capitol Police officer who gets injured in the line of duty and can no longer perform police work. Instead of losing the generous retirement benefits that come with being a police officer, they could move into an administrative or supervisory role at the Capitol Police—maybe managing training or handling personnel matters—and still earn their police officer retirement benefits based on their years of service. The key requirement is that they must move to this new job within three days of leaving their original position, and the new job should be related to their former work.

The bill covers law enforcement officers, customs and border protection officers, firefighters, air traffic controllers, nuclear materials couriers, Capitol Police, Supreme Court Police, certain CIA employees, and State Department diplomatic security agents. It applies to both major federal retirement systems (CSRS and FERS) and includes special provisions for CIA and State Department employees.

Workers can opt out of this benefit if they prefer, and the bill includes safeguards—once someone moves into a supervisory position or reaches mandatory retirement age, they stop receiving the special treatment. Agencies are also encouraged to try to rehire these injured workers in supervisory or administrative positions related to their former jobs, ideally at similar pay levels and in the same location. The bill takes effect immediately but only applies to people who suffer qualifying injuries or illnesses two years after it becomes law.

First Responder Fair RETIRE Act

Connolly, Gerald E.

First Responder Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned Act of 2021 or the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act This bill allows disabled federal first responders (e.g., law enforcement officers, customs and border protection officers, and firefighters) to continue receiving federal retirement benefits in the same manner as though they had not been disabled. Under current law, federal first responders are subject to a mandatory retirement age of 57. To facilitate this earlier retirement, federal first responders are required to pay a greater percentage of their salary towards retirement. Additionally, their annuity amount is calculated at a higher rate than other federal employees. This bill allows a federal first responder to remain in the accelerated retirement system if they are placed in another civil service position outside of that system after returning to work from a work-related injury or illness. Further, if such an employee is separated from service before they are entitled to receive an annuity, they may receive a refund of their accelerated contributions.