Congressional Retirement Issues

The retirement benefits provided by the Civil Service Retirement System for Members of Congress are generally more generous than those provided for other federal employees. The major differences are found in the eligibility requirements for retirement and the formulas used to calculate benefits. The Member benefit formula applies to congressional staff, but they are covered by the general employee retirement eligibility requirements. Law enforcement officers and firefighters may retire earlier than general employees and are covered by a more-generous benefit formula than are general employees. Under the Civil Service Retirement System, the provisions for air traffic controllers fall between those for law enforcement officers and firefighters and those for general employees. Many of the advantages afforded to Members of Congress and congressional staff under the Civil Service Retirement System were continued under the Federal Employees Retirement System, which covers workers hired in 1985 and thereafter. But under the Federal Employee Retirement System, provisions for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers are very similar to provisions for Members.