Who's to say they won't change the qualifications for retirement?
They've already cut off additions to the minimum retirement plan for higher grades. They don't contribute to SERMA at all for newer employees.
You may walk in one morning to find that 55 and 15 no longer applies or the rule of 75 only applies if you are 60 or older. Do you honestly believe you will ever get a deal as good as what the ERP offers now?
Take the bird in hand my friend. Don't let them burn you later because you have hope that somehow this will get better.
When I looked at everything the ERP included it came out to a lot more than one year of of base pay equivalent, plus the year and a half of insurance. This put me over the top as far as what I needed for a comfortable (not extravagant by any means) retirement. But it also put me in a position where I can choose to work again doing something that I will enjoy without having to stress over the magnitude of the pay.