For the full retirement benefit, you must be 62 years old at retirement or, if you have 30 years of credited service, you may retire as early as age 55. If you have not reached your 20 years covered Law Enforcement or Fire Fighter service and reach the age 57, you must retire in the month you reach your 20 years.Retirement plans established for the benefit of governmental employees generally function similar to those covering private employers. An agency must request VERA and receive approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before the agency may offer early retirement to its employees. Public employees who are members of a Massachusetts public retirement system can qualify for a retirement benefit once they meet certain requirements. Local government employees covered under public retirement systems that meet certain requirements. Your retirement application and relevant forms must be submitted to your retirement system for processing. Complete your buyback payments. A new law (Chapter 18 of the Laws of 2012) was enacted amending the retirement benefits of public employees who established membership in a public employee. Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 is a 401(a) lifetime retirement pension plan available to public employees in Washington.