U.S. Army Retirement Planning Guide 2020

U.S. Army

Retirement Planning Guide

2020

Retirement is a process, not an event!

Seek the advice of those who¡¯ve gone before you

OCTOBER 2019

U.S. ARMY RETIREMENT PLANNING GUIDE

PREPARED BY:

Army Retirement Services

Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1

Arlington, VA 22202-3531

Front Cover Caption: Soldiers with 75th Ranger Regiment scale the cliffs like Rangers did during Operation Overlord 75

years ago at Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France, June 5, 2019. More than 1,300 U.S. service members

partnered with 950 troops from across Europe and Canada, converged in northwestern France to commemorate the 75th

anniversary of Operation Overlord, the WWII Allied invasion of Normandy, commonly known as D-Day. (U.S. Army photo

by Markus Rauchenberger)

FOREWORD

As you prepare to retire, you¡¯ll face a confusing maze of policies, procedures, and benefits decisions. Without a plan and a

guide to this maze, you¡¯re likely to miss decision points, rush your decisions, and increase the stress on yourself and your

family.

My intent is to provide you with a planning guide that will help you navigate your personal off-ramp from the Army

superhighway. If you have suggestions for improvements to this guide, please send them to me at the addresses below.

First, I recommend you embrace the thought that ¡°retirement is a process, not an event.¡± Your peers, who are now retired,

want you to know that you will regret delaying your planning and ignoring the execution of your plan. I urge you to listen to the

subject matter experts, do your homework, ask questions, and involve your family ¨C you aren¡¯t the only one making this

transition.

Between this guide, your Retirement Services Officer, the Change of Mission newsletter, the MyArmyBenefits website and

Help Desk, and the Transition Assistance Program website and counselors, you have incredible resources to make your

retirement transition a success ¨C but it will take your own planning and discipline to make it happen on schedule. It¡¯s important

to note that there are two sets of mandatory preparation classes. The Transition Assistance Program AND the Retirement

Services Program are complementary and mandatory. I urge you to start both 24 months before you retire ¨C well before you

drop your retirement request. And don¡¯t underestimate the mental transition you¡¯re about to make. Life in retirement will be

different, but the grass is green on this side of the fence too. You will miss the sense of purpose, the camaraderie, and the

Soldiers you¡¯ve lived with for so long. But make no mistake, the Army will still need you after you retire. Your mission will

change, but your duty to the country will not.

After you retire, I want you to be a Soldier for Life ¨C a true advocate for the Army wherever you live. The mission for Retired

Soldiers is to ¡°HIRE and INSPIRE¡±: Help veterans get jobs. Inspire our youth to follow in your footsteps into military service.

Inspire Americans to know, understand, and support their Soldiers and their Army.

Thank you for your long and dedicated service to the nation.

Mark E. Overberg

Director, Army Retirement Services

Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1

Headquarters, Department of the Army

ArmyRSO@mail.mil

Army Retirement Services

251 18th Street South, Suite 210

Arlington, VA 22202-3531

NOTE: CLICKING ON ANY PAGE NUMBER IN THIS GUIDE WILL RETURN YOU TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

ii

Chapter 1 ¡ª Introduction

1-1

1-2

Soldier for Life Mindset¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 1

Retirement is a Process¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 1

Chapter 2 ¡ª How to Plan Your Retirement

2-1 General¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 3

2-2 The Spouse¡¯s Perspective¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 5

2-3 When You Can Retire¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 5

2-4 Change of Mission¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 6

2-5 Soldier for Life: Transition Assistance Program............................................................ 6

2-6

2-7

2-8

2-9

Retirement Physical...................................................................................................... 7

Household Goods Transportation¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 7

Retirement Recognition¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 8

Transition Leave & Permissive TDY¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 9

Chapter 3 ¡ª Retirement Benefits

3-1

3-2

3-3

3-4

Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).......................................... 10

Military Identification and Privilege Cards..................................................................... 10

MyArmyBenefits (MAB) ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 11

Army Emergency Relief................................................................................................ 12

Chapter 4 ¡ª Retirement Pay

4-1

4-2

4-3

4-4

4-5

4-6

Retired Pay Plans¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 13

Disability Retirement¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 16

Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 16

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 17

Other Retired Pay Information¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 17

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.......18

Chapter 5 ¡ª Medical Care

5-1 TRICARE Programs¨CMedical Care after Retirement¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 19

5-2 TRICARE Select¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 20

5-3 TRICARE Prime¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 21

5-4 TRICARE Plus¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 21

5-5 Uniformed Services Family Health Plan¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 22

5-6 TRICARE Retired Reserve (TRR)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 22

5-7 TRICARE Young Adults (TYA)......................................................................................22

5-8 TRICARE for Life (TFL)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 22

5-9 Temporary Disabled Retired List (TDRL) Beneficiaries¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..... 23

5-10 TRICARE Pharmacy Benefits¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.23

5-11 Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 23

Chapter 6 ¡ª Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits

6-1 General¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 25

6-2 VA Disability Compensation¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 25

6-3

6-4

6-5

6-6

6-7

6-8

Benefits Delivery at Discharge and Fully Developed Claim Programs¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 26

VA Home Loans¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 26

GI Bill¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 26

Converting SGLI to VGLI¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 27

VA Medical Care¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 27

VA Dental Care¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 27

Chapter 7 ¡ª Survivor Benefits

7-1

7-2

7-3

7-4

7-5

General¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 28

Survivor Benefit Plan¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­28

Basic SBP Questions Answered¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 29

SBP¡¯s Perceived Negatives¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 33

The Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 35

7-6 RCSBP Eligibility¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­........... 35

7-7 RCSBP Election Options¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 35

7-8 RCSBP Election Categories¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­35

7-9 RCSBP Election Costs¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.36

Chapter 8 ¡ª Uniformed Services Former Spouses¡¯ Protection Act

8-1

8-2

8-3

8-4

8-5

General¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 37

Background¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 37

Division of Retired Pay¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 37

Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 38

Military Identification and Privilege Cards¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 40

Chapter 9 ¡ª Reserve Component Retirement System

9-1 General¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 41

9-2 Nonregular Retired Pay Process¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­41

9-3 Changes to Retirement Age for Certain Reserve Component Soldiers¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 42

9-4 Retirement Points Accounting System (RPAS)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...42

9-5 Qualifying Year¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..... 43

9-6 Maximum Point Rule¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­43

9-7 Computation of Retired Pay¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 44

9-8 Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Retired Pay¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 44

9-9 Notification of Eligibility (NOE) (20-Year Letter¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­44

9-10 Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 45

9-11 Your Responsibility¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. 45

Chapter 10 ¡ª Communications, Systems & Installation Access

10-1 Army Echoes¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. 47

10-2 Personal/Family Information¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­... 47

10-3 Military Records¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 48

10-4 Department of Defense Self-Service Logon (DS LOGON)¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ 48

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