No, members of Congress cannot retire on full pay after serving just one term. The retirement benefits for members of Congress are more complex than that. In order to be eligible for a pension, members of Congress must meet certain age and length of service requirements. The rules vary depending on the year in which a member of Congress was first elected.
For those who were first elected before 1984, they may be eligible for a pension at the age of 50 or older if they have completed at least 20 years of service. On the other hand, for those elected after 1984, the age requirement increases to 62 or older with at least 5 years of service to be eligible for a pension.
The pension amount is calculated based on a formula that takes into account factors such as the member's years of service and the average of the highest three years of their salary. It's worth noting that the pension received by members of Congress is not the same as their full salary, but rather a percentage of it.
U.S. Federal law prevents any member of Congress from receiving a starting retirement annuity of more than 80% of his or her final salary. That alone makes clear that no member of Congress is able to collect 100% of their salary if they do not serve more than one termregardless of whythey did not serve more than one term. A retired member of Congress can never collect more than 80% of their final salary prior to retiring -- ever.
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