Nine agencies to offer early retirement this year

Nine federal agencies have been given authority to offer employees early retirement in fiscal 2000.

The agencies were given the authority by the Office of Personnel Management, which must approve agencies' requests for early outs. The agencies must show how early outs would help them reduce or reorganize their workforces.

The nine agencies with early out authority in fiscal 2000 are:

• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• Defense Department
• Energy Department's Office of Science and Technical Information
• Federal Housing Finance Board
• General Services Administration
• Housing and Urban Development Department
• Office of Personnel Management (excluding information technology positions until after February 2000)
• Small Business Administration (excluding the Office of Inspector General and disaster area offices)
• Veterans Affairs Department

Another 12 agencies have requested early out authority from OPM. OPM is processing those requests, but has not released the names of those agencies.