Collins bill seeks to protect pensions of injured federal first responders

First responders who were hurt on the job would be able to receive their full retirement benefits under bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Wednesday.

Collins and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned (RETIRE) Act to protect the pensions of firefighters, law enforcement officers, border patrol officials and other federal employees engaged in dangerous work who are injured on the job.

“We count on federal law enforcement officers, firefighters and other public safety employees when tragedy strikes,” Collins said. “These brave men and women make tremendous sacrifices to protect our communities, and their strenuous and often dangerous occupation puts them at heightened risk of injury. Our legislation honors first responders’ sacrifices by ensuring that they do not lose the retirement they have earned should they be injured in the line of duty.”

Currently, federal employees working in physically demanding jobs classified as “6c” positions have a mandatory retirement age and contribute a portion of their paychecks each month toward early retirement plans.

If those employee become disabled on the job and cannot fulfill their mandatory 20-25 years of service, they lose all benefits previously paid into the system — even if they return to work for the federal government as a non-6c designated employee.

The RETIRE Act would allow 6c employees to continue to pay into early retirement accounts, even if they don’t return to work in a 6c-designated occupation. Injured 6c employees would also be able to retire after 20-25 years of federal service and be eligible for a lump sum payment owed to them from their 6c retirement funds.

“Firefighters and law enforcement officers sacrifice every day to keep folks safe, and they shouldn’t be financially punished if they are hurt on the job,” Tester said. “This bill is about fairness, and it ensures that the folks who help keep our communities safe are able to access the full amount of their pensions that they have been paying into for years.”