@Bag of Fries You are absolutely correct. This story is meaningless. The money they are getting out is the money that they have put in. It has no effect on the budget. Even if these people did not "retire in place" the agencies STILL need to fill that position and would still be paying BOTH the retirement benefits to the person that left AND the salary to whomever filled the new position. It only looks bad because the person recieving retirement pay and the person recieving the salary for the work they complete happens to be the same person. However, if you spent 30 years paying into a retirement system, you would sure want that money back as soon as you were eligable to recieve it. Bovernment or not, you are entitled to YOUR retirement money.