Reserve Retirement Reform: A Viewpoint on REcent Congressional Proposals

Abstract : A consequence of the more intensive use of the reserve components in national defense in recent years has been greater attention paid to the adequacy and efficiency of the reserve compensation system. A key component of this system is the reserve retirement plan that pays, beginning at age 60, an annuity to qualified reservists who have completed 20 years of creditable service (YCS). Four bills were introduced in Congress in 2003 to reduce the age when reservists can begin to receive retirement benefits. One proposal would allow reservists to begin receiving retirement pay immediately upon completing 20 YCS, with the last six years as a member of a reserve component. Two related proposals would lower the retirement annuity age to 55. Another would set the retirement age on a sliding scale that depended on years of service (YOS); those with more YOS can retire earlier, as early as age 53.