Understanding National Guard and Reserve Points

"...Members of the Reserve Corps (the National Guard and Reserves) have a different pay and retirement system than Active Duty servicemembers. The Reserve retirement system is set up with the same principals as the Active Duty system, but instead of calculating the retirement based on years of service, it is calculated using Retirement Points.

Understanding how Retirement Points are earned is essential to understanding when you will be eligible for retirement, and how to calculate the value of a Reserve pension.

The purpose of this article is to give you an idea of how points are earned and how they are used to calculate your retirement...."

Read more at The Military Wallet

Proposal to Allow Immediate Retirement Pay for Reservists

"...Reservists would be eligible to begin receiving military retirement pay immediately after completing 20 years of part-time service under a new Pentagon proposal for overhauling the retirement system.

The plan would blur the lines between active and reserve careers by allowing both to qualify for “working age” retirement checks that for decades have been limited to the full-time active-duty force.

The fundamental change for reservists — who today must wait until..."

Read more at Military Times

Early Retirement Option for Guard, Reserve Soldiers

"...More reserve-component Soldiers may now be eligible to receive retirement pay before 60, if they meet certain criteria.

As of January 2013, Congress authorized more categories to the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, which originally applied only to reserve-component Soldiers serving in overseas contingency operations like Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sheila Dorsey, chief, Reserve Component Retirements.

The way it works is that Soldiers can count 90 days of their tour toward 90 days earlier retirement for each fiscal year deployed, according to Richard Gray, supervisor of Retired Pay.

That part is still in effect.   The new categories include reserve-component..."

Read more at Military.com

Gray Area Retiree Benefits

"...As an active RC, IRR, or Retired Reserve service member who has received a 20-year letter but has not received any retirement pay, you may be eligible to receive 'gray area' benefits. The following table shows these benefits compared to the full retiree's..."

Read more at hrc.army.mil

Last Vietnam vet retires from North Dakota Navy Reserve

"...When Senior Chief Quarter Master David Rice reached the top of his pay grade as a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves, he could’ve retired at any time.

But even after about 30 years, Rice wasn’t ready to retire. He stayed on and continued regular drills and practices with fellow shipmates for another 13 years – without pay..."

Read more at inforum.com