U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Retirement Technical Corrections Act
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Retirement Technical Corrections Act aims to fix an inequity in retirement benefits for a specific group of CBP Officers. It creates a status—“Eligible Individuals”—who had a tentative job offer before July 6, 2008 and began service on or after that date due to that offer. These individuals would be treated as if they were serving on July 6, 2008 for purposes of a 2008 DHS appropriations provision and would receive the minimum annuity amount required by that law, plus an exemption from the usual mandatory retirement rules. The bill requires DHS to identify these individuals within 120 days, notify them, and provide necessary information to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to adjust their annuities, including retroactive adjustments for those already retired. It also authorizes waivers of the maximum entry age to ensure immediate retirement with the corrected benefits, directs guidance from OPM, and requires a GAO review of CBP’s hiring and eligibility practices with a report within 18 months.
Key Points
- 1Defines “Eligible Individuals” as CBP Officers who had a pre-2008 job offer and started after that date because of that offer, and grants them special treatment for retirement benefits.
- 2Eligible Individuals are entitled to (a) the minimum annuity amount required by the 2008 DHS Appropriations Act and (b) an exemption from the agency’s mandatory retirement otherwise required under federal law.
- 3DHS must, within 120 days of enactment, identify Eligible Individuals, notify them, and supply needed data to OPM to process annuity corrections, including retroactive adjustments for those who retired before enactment.
- 4The Secretary of Homeland Security may retroactively waive the maximum entry age to ensure immediate retirement with the corrected benefits, and OPM (in coordination with DHS) must issue guidance to implement the corrections.
- 5The Comptroller General (GAO) must review CBP’s hiring practices and related processes for eligibility, provide oversight on controls and records, and report findings within 18 months.