Bill in Missouri the magic number is 73. You qualify when your age and years worked reach 73. At that point your pension is based on your three highest years salary. You get 2% per year for the first 30 years of employment and 3% a year for each additional year of service. So 35 years gives you 75% of your three highest years salary.
I know a fellow who because of an old flaw in the system was making about $165,000 teaching in his last three years and retired after 38 years of teaching.


The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.

Thomas Jefferson