Covered and Non-Covered LEO
We are featuring topics this segment of the posts on Law Enforcement Occupations and specifically what employees are covered by the special retirement benefits afforded to Law Enforcement Officers (LEO). We attempt to be as comprehensive and clear in presenting information to federal and postal employees and the general public as possible.
In the previous post, we itemized some of the covered law enforcement occupations that typically qualify under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).
Some additional occupations that qualify as covered for retirement purposes in the Law Enforcement Occupations are: Law Enforcement Park Rangers, TSA Federal Air Marshals, U.S. Marshals, Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers covered under FERS, and the Office of the Inspector General investigators in a number of federal agencies.
There are also some non-covered Law Enforcement Officer Occupations that do not ordinarily qualify for LEO Retirement benefits for the purpose of retirement under FERS and CSRS. The list includes, but is not necessarily limited to: Veteran Affairs Police, IRS Revenue Officers, Police in the United States Mint, Department of Defense Police, Government Printing Office Police, Drug Enforcement Agency Diversion Investigators, Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Service, Secret Service Special Officers, Assistant U. S. Attorneys, Police at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and guards at other Government installations.
It is always important to understand as much about your retirement benefits as possible and this is especially important when it comes to Law Enforcement Officers.  If you are an LEO you should find out as soon as possible how you are classified and what federal retirement system you are eligible under. This post is merely to expand the list of covered and non-covered occupations in law enforcement. But as a precaution, take some time out of your busy schedule to visit your Human Resources Office or the Human Resources designee to have a chat about your status as an LEO and the impact on your retirement.
It can be frustrating to find out that something is not what you thought it was early, but it can be absolutely near unmanageable if you find out at the very end of your career that there is a problem. Most of the problems can be fixed, but starting early to get your house in order is the best way to settle down into a comfortable and safe retirement.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know.
