Certain employees are subject to Special Retirement Coverage (SRC) provisions due to the nature of their position. DOD Air Traffic Controllers, Law Enforcement Officers, and Firefighters fall in this category if the position is determined eligible for SRC. Employees with SRC pay an extra percent salary deduction for retirement contributions and generally may retire at an earlier age with fewer years of service. There are age and service requirements under both FERS and CSRS that must be met in order for the employee to receive special retirement benefits. 

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) delegated the authority to determine Special Retirement coverage to the Agency heads. DCPAS verifies that the packages submitted for position determination are complete and positions qualify for SRC approval, thereby serving as the intermediary authority between the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and DOD components and agencies. Requests that meet eligibility criteria are recommended to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness for approval.

Resources

• Chapter 46 of the CSRS and FERS Handbook, Special Retirement Provisions for Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, Air Traffic Controllers and Military Reserve Technicians.
• Chapter 54 of the CSRS and FERS Handbook, Special Computation Formulas for Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, and Air Traffic Controllers.
• Volume 331 of DOD Instruction 1400.25, DOD Civilian Personnel Management System: Civilian Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs).
• Volume 336 of DOD Instruction 1400.25, DOD Civilian Personnel Management System: Civilian Firefighters and Law Enforcement Officers.