Army extends 15-year retirements to full-time Guard soldiers

Full-time National Guard soldiers can now qualify for temporary early retirement, a benefit also known as the 15-year early retirement plan.

In a directive signed by Army Secretary Eric Fanning, the Army in late June expanded its use of the Temporary Early Retirement Authority to allow for this additional group of soldiers to qualify.

TERA is now available to Full Time National Guard Duty soldiers, who serve under Title 32, said Paul Prince, an Army spokesman. These soldiers serve on active duty providing full-time support to the Guard at the state, not federal, level.

The directive also further clarifies who is eligible for early retirement, Prince said.

Congress authorized the use of TERA during the Army’s drawdown through fiscal year 2018. TERA is not an entitlement, but rather an option that to date has been limited to soldiers who are being involuntarily separated from active duty because of the drawdown, or, in the case of some officers, because of promotion non-selection.

TERA allows soldiers with at least 15 but fewer than 20 years of active service to receive the same benefits as those who retire with 20 or more years of service. Those who receive TERA have their retirement pay reduced accordingly.

Since the Army started implementing TERA in 2012, more than 1,100 requests for the benefit have been approved, said Lt. Col. Janet Herrick, a spokeswoman for Human Resources Command.

For fiscal 2016, the Army has approved 247 TERA requests, with a few more pending; 130 TERA requests have been approved so far for fiscal 2017, she said.
According to the directive, Army Directive 2016-27, the following soldiers may request TERA in lieu of involuntary separation, involuntary release from active duty, or involuntary release from active service. All affected soldiers must have at least 15 years but less than 20 years of service.

• Officers who twice were not selected for promotion and whose names are not on a list of officers recommended for promotion.

• Officers who were selected for continuation on active duty by a selection board but were not subsequently promoted or continued on active duty and who are not on a list of officers recommended for continuation or promotion to the next higher grade.

• Officers who have been selected for discharge by an Officer Separation Board.

• Army National Guard and Army Reserve officers serving in the Active Guard and Reserve Program who were selected for continuation on the reserve active-status list but were not subsequently promoted or continued on the reserve active-status list, and are not on a list of officers recommended for continuation or promotion to the next higher reserve grade.

• Army National Guard and Army Reserve officers in the AGR Program who were twice not selected for promotion and whose names are not on a list of officers recommended for promotion.

• Army National Guard and Army Reserve officers in the AGR Program who, pursuant to selection by an AGR Release From Active Duty (REFRAD) Board or Active Service Management Board (ASMB), have been selected to be involuntarily released from the AGR Program.

• Warrant officers who twice were not selected for promotion to the next higher regular warrant officer grade.

• Warrant officers who were selected for continuation on active duty by a selection board but were not subsequently promoted or continued on active duty, and are not on a list of warrant officers recommended for continuation or promotion to the next higher regular grade.

• Army National Guard and Army Reserve warrant officers serving in the AGR Program who, pursuant to selection by an AGR REFRAD Board or ASMB, have been selected to be involuntarily released from the AGR Program.

• Army Reserve warrant officers in the AGR Program in the grades of CW2 and CW3 who have not been selected for promotion for the second time, and whose names are not on a list of officers recommended for promotion.

• Enlisted soldiers who were selected to be involuntarily separated as a result of a Qualitative Service Program.

• Enlisted soldiers in the AGR Program who were selected to be involuntarily released from active duty or active service as a result of an AGR REFRAD Board or ASMB.