Reserve Retirement Reform

Issue: The seismic shift from a strategic to an operational reserve has profound implications for reservists' civilian compensation and retirement. They are now expected to spend 20-25% of their prime working years on full-time active duty. To offset inevitable declines in their civilian compensation package and to encourage the best and brightest to pursue a reserve career, the reserve retirement system must be reformed to reflect today's service conditions.

Background: When established in 1948, National Guard and Reserve (G-R) servicemembers were presumed to have full-time civilian careers and liable for activation only in the event of a world war type emergency. The reserve retirement system was built to supplement a normal civilian career promotion and retirement program. For the next five decades, G-R forces were called up infrequently and only for short tours of duty.

However, since 9/11, over 900,000 Guard and Reserve members have served on operational active duty; more than 300,000 have served multiple active duty tours.

Reserve mission increases and a smaller force structure mean G-R members are devoting a far greater share of their working lives to military service than was envisioned by reserve retirement system architects in 1948. National policy today requires G-R members to expect to be mobilized for 12 months every five or six years. This policy has dramatically changed the rules for G-R members, their employers, and families.

G-R members stand ready to support the nation, but should not have to suffer future civilian retirement income loss because of frequent call-ups that remove them from their civilian careers, often costing them promotions and sometimes their very jobs. The government has a clear obligation, in return for demanding this extra service and sacrifice, to help offset their civilian retirement losses by updating the reserve retirement system to reflect the realities of 21st century G-R service.

The FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (P.L. 110-181) took an important first step by reducing the age at which a member of the Ready Reserve can draw retired pay (normally 60) by 3 months for every aggregate 90 days of active duty performed after January 27, 2008. The FY 2015 NDAA (P.L. 113-291) authorizes the crediting of each 90 days’ active service over two successive fiscal years. The authority, however, does not include eligibility for TRICARE, which is deferred to age 60.

Take Action Now

Protect Gold Star spouses during future shutdowns

Under current law, Gold Star spouses receiving benefits from the Department of Defense are protected from interruptions in payments during a government shutdown. But because Coast Guard paychecks come from the Department of Homeland Security, these survivors are still at risk.
Act now to help Blue Water Navy Veterans

This bill would require the VA to assume veterans who served on ships off the coast of Vietnam but never had “boots on the ground” were exposed to Agent Orange and other harmful chemicals that led to rare cancers and other health problems.
Ensure Safe Housing For Military Families

When military families face health threats in their homes, it can be harder for servicemembers to focus on their mission. Congress is considering legislation to address health threats in base housing—by remediating environmental hazards, establishing strong tenants’ rights procedures, and restoring proper oversight of construction and maintenance contractors.
Act now to extend CHAMPVA coverage

Did you know that children of disabled veterans are the only group in America not covered by their parent’s health insurance up to age of 26?

The CHAMPVA Children’s Care Protection Act of 2019. If passed, they would expand coverage under CHAMPVA for children of eligible veterans, family members, and survivors so they can maintain their health care coverage until age 26.

Act now to join other concerned veterans, servicemembers, families, and surviving family members in delivering this message to get this enacted once and for all.
Support incentive pay parity for Guard and Reserve components of the uniformed services

RC aviation personnel currently receive only 1/30th of the Aviation Incentive Pay their active duty counterparts receive. In the wake of a nationwide pilot shortage, the uniformed services are experiencing retention problems. Providing incentive pay parity, across all components, would encourage both departing active component aviator and their RC peers alike, to continue serving in the Guard and Reserve. This issue is not just one of fairness, but one of maintaining our readiness as a total force. H.R. 2953, the Aviation Incentive Pay Parity Act, would remediate this discrepancy by authorizing incentive pay equivalent to the regular component.
Do Not Dismantle Military Medicine

The readiness and effectiveness of America’s armed forces demand a full complement of well-trained medical professionals. But the Defense Department’s fiscal 2020 budget would eliminate roughly 20 percent of military medical positions, along with other reorganization measures. This shortsighted “reform” effort could have drastic, even deadly, consequences—on the battlefield and throughout American health care.
Expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to Include Military Spouses

According to Department of Defense data, 24% of the military spouse labor force remains unemployed. That’s over six times higher than the national unemployment rate. To retain the best and brightest in an all-volunteer force, we must remove as many barriers to family financial stability as possible. Younger military families largely view two incomes as vital to their family’s well-being. Reduce the military spouse unemployment rate and ask Congress to expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include military spouses.
Act Now to Help Veteran Caregivers

The Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures (TEAM) for Veteran Caregivers Act improves the veterans caregiver program by ensuring all caregivers are included in the veterans’ medical records, establishing a minimum standard of information in downgrade notification letters, and extending benefits for at least 90 days after a termination letter is sent for cases where a veteran is deemed “no longer clinically eligible” for the program.
Act Now And Urge Congress to Protect Commissaries and Exchanges

The Defense Department is moving too fast to merge commissaries and exchanges. Tell Congress to pump the brakes and mandate additional review on how this will impact servicemembers, families, and the MWR funds.
America’s Gold Star Families need your help

Recent changes to the tax law inadvertently increased the amount of taxes Gold Star Families pay on their survivor benefits.
A skinny defense bill hurts military families

With conferees at an impasse over provisions in the annual defense authorization bill, Sen. Jim Inhofe introduced a “skinny NDAA” to extend essential national security authorities. While a skinny NDAA ensures the men and women in harm’s way continue to receive necessary support, it also fails to address crucial improvements to military housing, survivor benefits, spouse employment resources, and essential oversight of the military’s health care and defense resale systems.