Washington, D.C. 20530

April 23, 2003

MEMORANDUM FOR EMPLOYEES IN JUSTICE MANAGEMENT DIVISION¹

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved the Department's request for a voluntary early retirement authority (VERA) for the Justice Management Division (JMD).

VERA covers all JMD employees with the following exceptions:

1. Any employees who have not been continuously on the Department's rolls since at least 31 days before the date of our request, March 20, 2003;



2. Employees serving under time-limited appointments; and



3. Employees in receipt of a decision of involuntary separation for misconduct or unsatisfactory performance.

To be eligible for VERA, an employee must meet conditions 1 and 2, and either condition 3 or condition 4:

1. The employee must have been continuously on the rolls of a JMD organization since February 18, 2003;




and

2. The employee must separate no later than June 3, 2003;




and

3. The employee must have at least 25 years of creditable service (without regard to age);




or

4. The employee must be at least age 50 and have at least 20 years of creditable service.

At least the last 5 years of an employee's service must have been covered under the federal employee health benefits and life insurance programs in order to continue coverage under those programs in retirement. An employee under age 55 and covered by the Civil Service Retirement System will incur a penalty in the calculation of the annuity.

In addition, employees should be aware that, subject to changes in the staffing or budgeting situation on which this authority was based, JMD may need to further limit offers after offers are announced.

If you meet these criteria and are interested in exploring further the possibility of voluntary early retirement, please contact Mrs. Mary Lou Soffer, your servicing retirement counselor, at (202) 514-6791.

I want to assure you that this important decision is yours alone and that no employee will be coerced in making this decision.

¹ This memorandum is addressed and applies to employees in the Justice Management Division, including employees in Working Capital Fund positions.

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