Whether you’ve served in the military for four years or 30, becoming a civilian again is one of the biggest changes you’ll face. It pays to do your homework long before you hang up the uniform. Making sure you know as much as you can about your military retirement benefits is crucial.
U.S. Military (Ret.): Military retirement benefits are safe, for now Q. My brother is retired from the Navy. We have heard rumblings that Congress is considering changes to retirement benefits. From what we can gather, Congress is proposing that retirement... Posted Thursday Feb 9, 2012 13:57:43 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): Congress has resisted linking Tricare fees to paygrade Q: In all the discussion about Tricare fees, I don't recall seeing a suggestion that fees be indexed to the paygrade of the retiree sponsor. It's not a radical idea — rates charged at... Posted Thursday Jan 26, 2012 12:07:11 EST
U.S. military (Ret.): Tell lawmakers not to gut your benefits
We're heading toward the end of a tumultuous year for military pay and benefits, with lots of talk about overhauling military retirement benefits in particular. Posted Thursday Dec 29, 2011 11:27:56 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): VA claims backlog leads to frustration
Despite a few glimmers of hope in the Veterans Affairs Department's never-ending battle with its mountain of backlogged benefits claims, enough tales of disappointment and frustration still bubble up... Posted Thursday Dec 15, 2011 12:17:50 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): Voice for vets in D.C. fights to preserve retirement
Top Defense Department officials — and a number of lawmakers — have made it clear that they believe any potential changes to the military retirement system should apply only to future... Posted Thursday Nov 17, 2011 20:52:25 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): VA claim stalled for 10 months
In recent months, I've devoted two columns to readers who were fortunate enough to find a way to make the Veterans Affairs Department's disability claims system work smoothly for them. Posted Thursday Nov 3, 2011 10:46:06 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Squaring budget realities with health care promises
Retirees who follow the news are painfully aware that military retirement benefits, including health care, are in the spotlight as part of the broader debate over how to fix our nation's financial... Posted Thursday Oct 20, 2011 15:26:25 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): VA claims process can work smoothly
I just received my second recent email from a veteran who reports satisfying results with the Veterans Affairs Department claims process. Posted Thursday Oct 6, 2011 14:03:48 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Revising retirement system could derail incentive to serve
The retiree blogosphere has exploded recently in the wake of reports in this newspaper and elsewhere about a plan put forth by a Pentagon advisory board to radically overhaul the military retirement... Posted Thursday Sep 22, 2011 10:51:00 EDT
Retiree COLAs: Tracking Inflation
Military retired pay rises each year to ensure that inflation does not erode the purchasing power of retirees. These cost-of-living adjustments, known as COLAs, match the annual increase in Social... Posted Tuesday Sep 20, 2011 10:50:04 EDT
Hatching a new nest egg
A new plan to overhaul the military retirement system proposed by the Defense Business Board would radically reshape military retirement — scrapping the 20-year retirement model in favor of a... Posted Sunday Sep 18, 2011 19:12:20 EDT
Plan to cut retirement outrages service members
Like thousands of other troops, Air Force 1st Lt. Daniel Worden said he was stunned and offended by a recent proposal to overhaul the military retirement system in a way that would directly and... Posted Thursday Sep 1, 2011 12:36:57 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Disability pay is community property in some states
Medically retired Air Force Maj. Mark Beres is leading an effort to get the Arizona legislature to enact a law to prohibit any form of veterans disability compensation from being counted as income in... Posted Thursday Aug 25, 2011 10:19:56 EDT
U.S. military (ret.): Military retirement package is among the best
I recently had the opportunity to speak to a room full of military retirees during a Veterans of Foreign Wars indoctrination dinner. My topic was the value of a military career and the benefit... Posted Thursday Apr 21, 2011 14:57:30 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Tricare fee hikes seem likely
By now, most retirees and soon-to-be retirees have heard about the Defense Department's new push to increase Tricare health care fees. Posted Thursday Apr 7, 2011 16:19:48 EDT
Be specific in divorce agreements to avoid future legal trouble
A recent ruling in a case in New Jersey's state courts departed from established law on the contentious issue of how a service member's military retirement pay is treated in divorce cases. Posted Thursday Mar 24, 2011 14:13:13 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Now’s the time for retirees to make benefits changes
The start of a new year is a good time for military retirees to review their pay and benefit entitlements and get up to speed on major initiatives in the works that may have an impact on their... Posted Thursday Jan 13, 2011 15:17:29 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): Know your RAS: Statement can answer questions
As we close out the year, retirees should be receiving their annual tax statements from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service — the 1099-R that reflects any taxable military retired pay... Posted Wednesday Dec 29, 2010 16:04:18 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): Tricare launches coverage for gray-area retirees
National Guard and reserve members who have retired from military service but are not yet age 60, the age they can get their retirement benefits, now have a way into the Tricare system. Posted Friday Dec 17, 2010 11:29:42 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): No COLA, but retirees can lobby for one-time payment
Election Day 2010 came just a couple of weeks after military retirees got the discouraging news that they will see no cost-of-living adjustment for a second consecutive year in 2011 — the only... Posted Thursday Nov 4, 2010 14:13:18 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Lack of COLA, state taxes chip away at pay
My past few columns about the effect of the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act on military retired pay generated lively discussion among readers. Posted Thursday Oct 21, 2010 16:46:03 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Officials should consider different index for COLA
Amid a shaky economy and high jobless rates, military retirees are growing worried about the possibility of a second straight year with no cost-of-living adjustment in retired pay. Posted Thursday Sep 9, 2010 15:29:16 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Retirees should know ins and outs of USFSPA
Now and then, I get an e-mail from a disabled veteran asking if disability pay is considered marital property that can be divided in divorce proceedings. Posted Thursday Aug 26, 2010 14:44:09 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Disability basics: How to begin the VA claim process
I've written a lot recently about disability claims and how the Veterans Affairs Department is trying to deal with the huge backlog. I also touched a nerve with columns about the claims assistance... Posted Monday Aug 2, 2010 20:01:14 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): VA battling stubborn claims backlog
If Congress approves the White House's 2011 budget request for the Veterans Affairs Department, VA may finally start to get its arms around the backlogged disability claims process — which... Posted Monday Jul 19, 2010 14:24:25 EDT
Bill would let troops put leave into TSP at retirement
A new bill would allow Thrift Savings Plan participants to deposit some or all of the cash value of their unused annual leave into their accounts when they retire. Posted Tuesday Apr 6, 2010 13:07:41 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): DAV can lead retirees through benefit red tape
Over the past few years, I have often talked about the challenges that disabled retirees face in maneuvering a complex bureaucratic system to get the benefits they are due. Posted Saturday Apr 3, 2010 14:55:52 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Another path to concurrent receipt for some retired troops
In my last column, I talked about the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments program, or CRDP, one of the two concurrent-receipt programs for veterans who are entitled to both military retired... Posted Friday Jan 15, 2010 10:29:17 EST
U.S. Military (Ret.): Vets can’t be passive when dealing with VA
Nothing speaks wisdom like the voice of experience. I recently wrote about the Veterans Affairs Department disability claims system and offered a few do's and don'ts for submitting a claim or... Posted Wednesday Dec 2, 2009 14:31:07 EST
U.S. Military (Ret).: Try not to worry (yet) about the health reform bill
Judging from my mail in recent weeks, retirees are nervous about the potential impact of the new health care reform legislation on Tricare — particularly Tricare for Life — and the... Posted Monday Sep 14, 2009 15:24:32 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): COLA won’t lead to cut in pay
Military retirees are nervously watching the inflation rate and wondering what it means for the annual cost-of-living adjustment in their retired pay. Posted Monday Sep 14, 2009 15:21:10 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Calif. retired pay bill put on hold for ’09
For the many readers who have contacted me recently about the legislative initiative in California to exempt military retired pay from state and local taxes there, I have a little discouraging news: Posted Monday Sep 14, 2009 15:19:03 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): After you’re gone
About a year ago, I wrote about a topic that doesn't make for great conversation around the dinner table, but is something all retirees need to think about and plan for — your funeral and... Posted Sunday Sep 6, 2009 11:03:28 EDT
TSP: It may be 2 years before Roth is offered
The top executive overseeing the Thrift Savings Plan said it will take a "minimum of one year, more likely two" to get a Roth investment option in place. Posted Thursday Jun 11, 2009 11:04:16 EDT
Retirees weigh in on California tax-break plan
My recent column discussing how different states treat military retirement pay for tax purposes and (to make California more tax-friendly for retirees) stirred up a lot of responses. Posted Thursday May 21, 2009 15:44:31 EDT
U.S. Military (Ret.): Weighing pros and cons of a ‘benefits menu’
I recently came across a report by James Carafano of the Heritage Foundation titled: "A Rucksack for U.S. Military Personnel: Modernizing Military Compensation," which addresses how to best... Posted Thursday May 21, 2009 15:28:38 EDT
Retirees under 65 should pay more for Tricare, QRMC says
The idea that military retirees under age 65 should pay more for their Tricare benefits has become a familiar Pentagon refrain, voiced in a 2006 report on military compensation and by the 2007 Task... Posted Tuesday Aug 12, 2008 15:44:24 EDT
Group officials blast retirement pay proposal
An independent commission's call for an integrated active and reserve retirement system — which would put an end to immediate retirement pay for active-duty members after 20 years — has... Posted Thursday Feb 14, 2008 14:13:32 EST
Retirement pay calculator
Military members receive retirement pay under one of three pay systems: "Final pay," "High-3" or "Career Status Bonus/Redux."... Posted Thursday Feb 14, 2008 3:42:25 EST
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