Important Update: VERA Advocacy  

At the February board meeting, AFSA agreed to pursue a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) option for the Foreign Service. Following additional membership feedback, the option and its specifics were again considered at the March board meeting.  

After significant consideration, AFSA has decided to put forth a Foreign Service VERA option that balances what helps our members most with what has the best chance of becoming law. 

What is AFSA’s VERA proposal?  

AFSA’s proposed Foreign Service VERA option offers an immediate annuity at the 1.7% rate for members who are at least 43 years old with a minimum of 15 years of service. The proposal also ensures retirees retain Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB). 

The plan sets a clear eligibility threshold and avoids reductions between the VERA floor (43 years old) and the current voluntary retirement threshold (50 years old with 20 years of service). 

AFSA determined the 43-year-old age floor by aligning with the civil service VERA model, which allows retirement seven years before that group’s minimum retirement age. Applying the same logic to the Foreign Service, AFSA set its VERA threshold seven years below the existing 50-year voluntary retirement age. The 1.7% calculation also reflects the Foreign Service Pension System (FSPS). 

What are the next steps to make this a reality?  

Any VERA option for the Foreign Service requires a legislative change under the statute that outlines the Foreign Service, Title 22. AFSA does not recommend an amendment to the permanent VERA authority that applies to civil service. Instead, AFSA aims for Congress to create a separate, Foreign Service-specific VERA. With clear signals that Congress seeks to reduce federal spending, AFSA does not believe a retroactive VERA without a clear floor is viable in the current political environment. 

AFSA can adapt this proposal as we pitch the idea to relevant stakeholders and learn more. However, there is urgency in decision-making to take advantage of legislative processes and ensure we can appeal to broad audiences on Capitol Hill and at foreign affairs agencies.

What is the timeline for advocacy?  

While AFSA will advocate for this legislative change as soon as possible, the only pressing deadlines that exist in Congress surround the end of the fiscal year or the end of the calendar year. AFSA believes proposing our Foreign Service VERA option as a priority for the State Department Authorization Act, which is often attached to the National Defense Authorization Act and usually passed late in the calendar year, gives us the best chance of successful passage. Reconciliation is another legislative vehicle, but the timeline for passage is uncertain, and its provisions are supposed to be budgetary. 

There is no silver bullet. 

AFSA does not know if Congress will agree to pass any VERA option for the Foreign Service. Even if there is a possibility of passage, AFSA does not expect a Foreign Service VERA or any similar mechanism to be in place before those who have already received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices are separated from the Service. We continue to fight for the rescission of RIF notices through litigation for those facing separation. 

We understand our members’ earnest desire to secure some semblance of additional economic security commensurate with their long years of service, many in hardship conditions, and their interest in continuing to serve their country with distinction. We are trying to right what wrongs we can through litigation, but even if we succeed, we cannot undo the avoidable pain, fear, and hardships of these recent months.  

If you want to reach out to your member of Congress to support a Foreign Service VERA option, please refer to our VERA advocacy template on the AFSA’s 2025 Resources page.

As always, we welcome your feedback and ideas, which can be sent to member@afsa.org.