15-Year Retirement Extended...Good Idea?

2016-03-26T11:18:38-04:00

The Army will continue to offer separation pay for soldiers who are being forced out...is this a good idea?

Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA), also known as the 15-year early retirement plan, has been authorized by Congress for use during the drawdown through fiscal 2018.

http://www.armyreenlistment.com/news-tera-extended.html

15-year Army retirements OK'd through 2018

TERA, also known as the 15-year early retirement plan, has been authorized by Congress for use during the drawdown through fiscal 2018.

Response by CPT Mark Gonzalez made Mar 26 at 2016 11:34 AM

2016-03-26T11:34:48-04:00

Should they allow TERA, yes in limited situations? However, it shouldn't be a guarantee that if you involuntary separate you will get it. Why? Because if I knew for a fact I would get TERA if separated, I could just purposefully trigger my separation. Start failing your APFT's at 14.5 years and you get to bail out early with TERA. This seems distasteful, but forcing someone to go to 20 years to qualify for retirement is also a form of coercion if they don't want to be there.

Response by SSG Ryan Moore made Mar 26 at 2016 12:06 PM

2016-03-26T12:06:49-04:00

SGM Matthew Quick i'm willing to bet that this applies to QSP and people who want out vs QMP. With a QMP, you do not qualify for retirement unfortunately.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2016 12:18 PM

2016-03-26T12:18:28-04:00

http://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil/Home/Benefit_Library/Federal_Benefits_Page/Temporary_Early_Retirement_Authority_(TERA).html?serv=147

This has existed since 2011.

TERA is not separation pay. It is retirement. Those that qualify for and receive TERA do not receive separation pay. They are retired, early, with a slightly lower pension than a 20-yr retirement, based on time served.

Yes, TERA should continue to be authorized during the drawdown. I expect that as the Army will continue the drawdown past 2018, that Congress will authorize TERA to extend past 2018.

Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA)

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Mar 26 at 2016 1:31 PM

2016-03-26T13:31:03-04:00

Two separate issues here, both are beneficial to the service member at that point in time....for those that join at age 18, retiring at age 33 sounds like a pretty good deal.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 26 at 2016 2:56 PM

2016-03-26T14:56:37-04:00

Absolutely if you qualify. $1000-$1500 per month per life is still a big deal. I wish they would offer this to those who are injured. It does not make sense.

I think those who give 15 years of their life, separate, should get some satisfaction in their pension.

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Mar 26 at 2016 5:24 PM

2016-03-26T17:24:52-04:00

They had a similar program in the 1990s during the post Cold War drawdown. It is a way for those who spent that much time in to get something. I think it benefits the Soldiers and the Army.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2016 5:33 PM

2016-03-26T17:33:07-04:00

Yes as long as there is a QMP and a QSP then the 15 year retirement should stay.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2016 6:26 PM

2016-03-26T18:26:48-04:00

At first I thought it was a bad idea ...but after reading the responses to this post? Fire it up. If it gets rid of all the toxic or crappy 14.5+ yr Soldiers, then let's do this. I don't give a damn what they pay someone who has put in the time ...but I'd rather see shi**y Soldiers ushered out as swiftly as possible. If this gives people an easy out, then do it. I only want to be surrounded by people who want to be here for the right reasons ...not because they're fat, broken, and contractually bound or obligated. Army of the willing.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 27 at 2016 9:22 AM

2016-03-27T09:22:19-04:00

Honestly I think we should have 4 year retirements. Retire EVERYONE.

But Aaron, that's crazy talk.

Hear me out. Treat it as retainer pay. Drop the % (Which we are doing anyways), treat everyone as a retiree after they serve, so we can track them better, and recall them as we need them. Makes recruiting key fields a heck of a lot easier.

After 4 years, send Spec Benatz (Ret) a check for $150 a month (with all the concurrent retirement rules IN PLACE), and mandate that he get a yearly physical. Make this a "Military for Life."

At that point we have people who are staying because they want to, not because of the coercive 20 year mark (they will stay for longevity & rank however, but that's a different dynamic).

Response by MAJ Jim Steven made Mar 27 at 2016 1:18 PM

2016-03-27T13:18:12-04:00

It wasn't extended, it was always until 2018.
You must be a non-select for promotion to next rank and be between 15-20 years.
It is a pay check and all retirement benefits for life, but you might be getting out a little earlier and less pay, if you were hoping to get promoted and serve a few more years.

Response by MAJ Raúl Rovira made Mar 27 at 2016 4:22 PM

2016-03-27T16:22:04-04:00

This is not an extension of TERA. The initial message years ago stated that TERA be available until 30 SEP 2018. Several TERA messages have been published since the implementation of TERA. TERA is a good tool when properly used. I have no way of understanding the rationale or what criteria is used to figure this out or what type of exodus they are trying to control or influence.

TERA is a force shaping tool that has been in existence for many years. It is not always used unless services are authorized to use it.

Presently TERA has been useful when considering promotions percentages are lower than DOPMA combined with the draw-down and the OSB.

Personally, I can't look at a 15-year retirement with an entitlement attitude.

The rules of the TERA game ether apply to our case or they don't. In the military timing is everything. If I where to qualify for TERA based on the rules at that time then awesome and thank you. If I don't qualify then it sucks and I have no choice but to move on.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 27 at 2016 5:00 PM

2016-03-27T17:00:01-04:00

I have a question about an NCO E-6 type who is soup sandwich, partly because of him and his medical circumstances, and this is hurting my head. He is in the 15th year of his Army career and turned down promotion. He wanted out. Now he is stage four cancer, and I assume he only has a few months left. He is in the WTU and is getting chemotherapy. What would the wife get after he leaves the Army estimate? He signed for only 100,000 in SGLI. I don't think she will get much.

1. From the Army-Funds
2. From the VA-Funds
3. From SS-Funds?

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Mar 27 at 2016 5:59 PM

2016-03-27T17:59:05-04:00

I would hit my 15 year mark this next February. Now I wish I'd stayed in!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 12 at 2016 12:01 AM

2016-04-12T00:01:23-04:00

SGM, I think its a fantastic idea. The army needs a reboot. I think that we should be allowed to opt in and that the Army should do a monthly dump of the numbers needed for the drawdown. I do feel, however, that we are rewarding those that didn't make the cut with early retirement. I would happily trade losing 12% of retirement for regaining 5 years of my life and I've done *mostly all the right things, aside from SSD 3 of course.