House Passes Retirement Bill Helping Injured Federal First Responders

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass a bill aimed at helping federal first responders who are injured in the line of duty and forced to pursue other jobs in the federal government.

Federal law enforcement officers and firefighters are part of an accelerated version of the federal government’s retirement benefits program and pay more toward their benefit pensions each pay check in exchange for being able to receive a full annuity once they have served 20 years and reached age 50, according to Government Executive.

If a federal first responder is injured on the job and unable to continue their service, they lose access to that accelerated retirement program and are not refunded for the greater payments they made along the way.

The First Responder Fair RETIRE Act (H.R. 521) was introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Jim Langevin, D-R.I. and would allow federal first responders to continue paying into the accelerated retirement system and retire after they have served 20 years and reached age 50, if they are forced to pursue employment elsewhere in the federal government due to a workplace injury.

The bill also grants federal first responders the ability to receive a refund of their previous accelerated contributions if they leave federal service before qualifying for their annuity. “We want to incentivize our first responders to continue their service to this nation We should not punish them for injuries they sustained protecting communities. And we should reward their actions with continued inclusion in the retirement system they signed up for at the start of their service," Connolly said on the House floor when the bill was passed on Tuesday.

The First Responder Fair RETIRE Act (H.R. 521) now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.