Retirement pay for National Guard Reservist

Jenningsjs

PEB Forum Regular Member
Registered Member
I apologize for being the one millionth poster about reserve disability retirement pay but I have read every post several times and I’m still confused. To explain my situation, I am a National Guard reservist with four years active-duty and 25 years as a national guard reservist. I have been referred to a med board due to PTSD and anxiety due to a military sexual trauma event that occurred to me in 1991 while on active duty on a standard military deployment (Navy Mediterranean cruise). I have also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia which is a presumptive condition of my Desert Shield Desert Storm service as well as IBS and sleep apnea which are secondary conditions for most of the medications I have been prescribed. I have been told by most people that have medically separated from the National Guard that they collect their retirement pay immediately. Given my situation, will I collect that as well as my VA disability pay immediately? If so, what is the formula used to calculate my retirement pay given the fact that most of my service has been reserve time? Thanks in advance for your answers and I’m sorry for asking the same question a millionth time.
 
Here is the deal...

If you are referred MEB by the National Guard, you will need a line of duty investigation for each of the conditions that you are referred for. If you do not have one, they will need to start the process.

If you have 25 years in, and have a 20 year letter, you have earned that retirement and will be able to collect it at the age of 60, or sooner if you qualify under the NDAA of 2008.

Depending on the ratings percentage from the NG, you may get a medical retirement (30% or greater rating). Now to play devils advocate, if you have had medical conditions that go all the way back to desert shield/desert storm, why do you not have a VA rating for them?

The reason I am asking this is that the National Guard can easily deny service connection for them and you will have an uphill battle.

Now, let me get to the question that you most likely want answered, if you were given a medical retirement from the National Guard for PTSD, fibromyalgia, IBS and sleep apnea, what would the rating be. In order to determine that you would need to have a C&P evaluation and the rating determine.

For the sake of demonstration, I will make the assumption (loosely) that the NG will give you a medical retirement at 50% and the VA will rate you at 100%

Your medical retirement would be the greater of years of service you have (computed by by each day of active duty you service plus any points from drilling) or you rating percentage multiplied by your average of top three pay. In almost every single circumstance with a reservist, it is the latter of the two.

I will use $4000 a month as a number for you high three. $4000 x 50% is $2000 per month (this would be your medical retirement from the National Guard). At 100% VA C&P you would receive approximately $3000 per month. As you read this you are probably thinking you would get $5000 per month, but that is not the case. Federal law will not allow you to collect both payments at once, so they will calculate what is most advantageous to you which would be the VA C&P payment of $3000 per month tax free.

Now lets get back to your 25 years of service and the 20 year letter if you have it. If you do, then you can collect you non-regular (NG/reserve) retirement at age 60 (or sooner if you qualify for early age drop) and your VA C&P payments concurrently.

I know this may still be confusing so please feel free to ask more questions if you need further clarification.
 
What if you're AGR (Active Duty) and medically retired (>or =30% DoD rating) while in that status and have over 20 guard years? Does one draw retired pay and VA pay immediately or still have to wait til 60 for retired pay? Which ID card would one get, pink or blue? And Tricare Prime/Standard (choice of) would be immediate upon medical retirement?
 
If you get rated 30% or greater from the NG, then you are medically retired, you get a blue ID card and Tricare for Retirees.

You will still have to wait until you are 60 to draw your non-regular retirement pay.

You do not get to draw your non-regular retirement and VA C&P concurrently until you reach the age of 60

Guard years are guard years. Active duty years are active duty years.

On average a guard member earns 60 points per year unless they get mobilized frequently.

It takes 6 regular guard years to equal one active duty year. If you have 7200 points on your NGB Form 22 or RPAS, then you have earned a regular 20 year active duty retirement.
 
Thanks for that info. I'm sitting at 6950. Guess I will have to wait a few more years (15) after med retirement to draw but I'll survive. Drawback of retiring too early. I have 19 active.
 
If you are AGR, you should try to tough it out until you hit 20 years (or use every single administrative delay you possibly can) that way you can collect your regular retirement and VA C&P concurrently.
 
Primary Alternate, you have to have 7200 points for retirement. unless you are AGR and have been active duty your entire time, your points total (6950) are most likely not all points for retirement. I was Active duty, Traditonal Air National Guard and AGR. I had over 8400 total points but not all were towards retirement, I had about 7400 plus for retirement so I was able to retire as active duty and receive my active duty retirement pay. it's kinda confusing but if you been in more than 20 years you will probably know how the calculations are done.
 
Thanks for the info. Those 6950 are AD points because I just recently hit my R&R date. I've been strictly AGR the last 19 years and I had a year of being a traditional guardsman. I'll pull up my total points here in a few minutes.
 
I'm showing to have over 7100 retirement points and 7400 total points and I'm 50 pts shy of 7000 AD points. With my MEB package being at AFPC for ratings, I'm not so sure I can pull off a 7-month delay? I have 63 days of leave and am pretty certain I'll get 20 days for house-hunting and 20 days to out-process. This would still leave me short. I've also been getting conflicting information: is it 7200 point (360 pts*20 yrs) or 7300 points (365*20 yrs). We are credited with 365 points at the end of our R&R year.
 
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Here is the deal...

If you are referred MEB by the National Guard, you will need a line of duty investigation for each of the conditions that you are referred for. If you do not have one, they will need to start the process.

If you have 25 years in, and have a 20 year letter, you have earned that retirement and will be able to collect it at the age of 60, or sooner if you qualify under the NDAA of 2008.

Depending on the ratings percentage from the NG, you may get a medical retirement (30% or greater rating). Now to play devils advocate, if you have had medical conditions that go all the way back to desert shield/desert storm, why do you not have a VA rating for them?

The reason I am asking this is that the National Guard can easily deny service connection for them and you will have an uphill battle.

Now, let me get to the question that you most likely want answered, if you were given a medical retirement from the National Guard for PTSD, fibromyalgia, IBS and sleep apnea, what would the rating be. In order to determine that you would need to have a C&P evaluation and the rating determine.

For the sake of demonstration, I will make the assumption (loosely) that the NG will give you a medical retirement at 50% and the VA will rate you at 100%

Your medical retirement would be the greater of years of service you have (computed by by each day of active duty you service plus any points from drilling) or you rating percentage multiplied by your average of top three pay. In almost every single circumstance with a reservist, it is the latter of the two.

I will use $4000 a month as a number for you high three. $4000 x 50% is $2000 per month (this would be your medical retirement from the National Guard). At 100% VA C&P you would receive approximately $3000 per month. As you read this you are probably thinking you would get $5000 per month, but that is not the case. Federal law will not allow you to collect both payments at once, so they will calculate what is most advantageous to you which would be the VA C&P payment of $3000 per month tax free.

Now lets get back to your 25 years of service and the 20 year letter if you have it. If you do, then you can collect you non-regular (NG/reserve) retirement at age 60 (or sooner if you qualify for early age drop) and your VA C&P payments concurrently.

I know this may still be confusing so please feel free to ask more questions if you need further clarification.

GSFowler, sorry for the delay in replying. Thank you very much for the detailed reply. It helped me greatly. I also found this reserve disability retirement calculator online, hopefully it will help someone else in the same situation. Again, thanks for you help. It was greatly appreciated.

https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/woundedwarrior/disabledretireest.html
 
Recently completed the process. I was under the impression I had to have 7200 AD points but for some reason being I was going thru the IDES process they used my greater than 7200 points for retired pay and said it was the equivalent of 20 yrs active federal service. Per DA Pam 635-40 chapter 3 Para 3-12
 
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I was under the same impression, you need 7200 to get active duty retirement. Please explain "greater than 7200"
 
7200 or more. See the reference in my post above.
 
Has your finance verified this. 7200 AD points is what I was told by my transition assistance office.
 
This is for Air Force (ANG), not sure if same for other branches: I actually spoke to OAC about this exact same thing a few weeks ago. I was told that I needed 7200 "total points" to qualify for an AD retirement, not just in the AD category, because of being medically retired. I have over 7200 total points but not in the AD points column. (Just shy by a few months, actually.) Bottom line: if you're being medically retired and you have over 7200 total points then you would qualify for an AD retirement, per OAC.
 
This is for Air Force (ANG), not sure if same for other branches: I actually spoke to OAC about this exact same thing a few weeks ago. I was told that I needed 7200 "total points" to qualify for an AD retirement, not just in the AD category, because of being medically retired. I have over 7200 total points but not in the AD points column. (Just shy by a few months, actually.) Bottom line: if you're being medically retired and you have over 7200 total points then you would qualify for an AD retirement, per OAC.


As per the DA Pam I referenced in my above post this applies to Army also.
 
GSFowler, sorry for the delay in replying. Thank you very much for the detailed reply. It helped me greatly. I also found this reserve disability retirement calculator online, hopefully it will help someone else in the same situation. Again, thanks for you help. It was greatly appreciated.

https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/woundedwarrior/disabledretireest.html
Here is the deal...

If you are referred MEB by the National Guard, you will need a line of duty investigation for each of the conditions that you are referred for. If you do not have one, they will need to start the process.

If you have 25 years in, and have a 20 year letter, you have earned that retirement and will be able to collect it at the age of 60, or sooner if you qualify under the NDAA of 2008.

Depending on the ratings percentage from the NG, you may get a medical retirement (30% or greater rating). Now to play devils advocate, if you have had medical conditions that go all the way back to desert shield/desert storm, why do you not have a VA rating for them?

The reason I am asking this is that the National Guard can easily deny service connection for them and you will have an uphill battle.

Now, let me get to the question that you most likely want answered, if you were given a medical retirement from the National Guard for PTSD, fibromyalgia, IBS and sleep apnea, what would the rating be. In order to determine that you would need to have a C&P evaluation and the rating determine.

For the sake of demonstration, I will make the assumption (loosely) that the NG will give you a medical retirement at 50% and the VA will rate you at 100%

Your medical retirement would be the greater of years of service you have (computed by by each day of active duty you service plus any points from drilling) or you rating percentage multiplied by your average of top three pay. In almost every single circumstance with a reservist, it is the latter of the two.

I will use $4000 a month as a number for you high three. $4000 x 50% is $2000 per month (this would be your medical retirement from the National Guard). At 100% VA C&P you would receive approximately $3000 per month. As you read this you are probably thinking you would get $5000 per month, but that is not the case. Federal law will not allow you to collect both payments at once, so they will calculate what is most advantageous to you which would be the VA C&P payment of $3000 per month tax free.

Now lets get back to your 25 years of service and the 20 year letter if you have it. If you do, then you can collect you non-regular (NG/reserve) retirement at age 60 (or sooner if you qualify for early age drop) and your VA C&P payments concurrently.

I know this may still be confusing so please feel free to ask more questions if you need further clarification.

Thanks so much for being very clear on your reply. I’m a little thick in the head with my health problems these days. Meds makes things pretty foggy. Please excuse me for asking but here it goes.
I qualify for the early draw. In fact it’s going to be age 54. I was on mob orders a long time. So, I’ll get my reserve retirement plus va disability? I waived a formal board but now have some remorse. Tricare is pretty expensive each month for my family as a retired reservists. From what you have said it would appear I am good to go. Just need to wait until I’m 54 or 55 to get both and my tricare premium should also go down as well? If I would have gone through the PEB formal board and received 30% I would have been screwed because I wouldn’t get both va disability and med retirement? I appreciate this forum! Thank you
 
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