Sunday, June 15, 2025
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Air and Space Forces civilian employees can apply for the Defense Department’s Deferred Resignation Program or Voluntary Early Retirement Authority until April 14 as part of the Air Force Department’s workforce reduction efforts.
“To reduce the size of our civilian workforce by 5-8% in the coming months and strategically restructure, the DAF will execute a broad outreach campaign to maximize employee awareness and opportunity to participate in these voluntary programs,” acting Assistant Air Force Secretary Gwendolyn DeFilippi wrote in a memo Friday.
Several categories are not eligible for DRP or VERA, she wrote:
Employees who accept DRP or VERA could be placed on paid administrative leave no earlier than May 1 before officially resigning or retiring Sept. 30.
Some employees had already accepted such programs, officials told reporters last month, before this window opened.
Some officials have warned that losing civilians could damage or slow the work done by the services.
“DAF supports a large portion of the workforce participating in these programs while ensuring the Air Force and Space Force maintain operational readiness and the ability to perform mission essential functions,” DeFelippi wrote, with emphasis. “Employees are not approved for DRP immediately upon application.”
Once the application period ends, the department will evaluate how the resignations or retirements may affect various teams and may implement additional exemptions for the programs, DeFelippi wrote. Should further exemptions, the department will prioritize VERA applicants.
To apply for VERA and retire with full benefits, employees must be at least 50 years old with at least 20 years of federal service of any age with at least 25 years of service.
Officials can ask for deadline extensions for employees who are not able to complete the applications in time and were on approved absence during the application window. Those extensions need to be requested before April 21.