For those that were on COAD and retired. What was the process for getting retirement orders? Did you have to submit a volunteer retirement packet? Did your retirement orders state that you are a medical retiree or a traditional retiree with at least 20 yrs AFS? When I asked my PEBLO about submitting a retirement packet I was told to submit my packet through my unit S-1. Is there a difference between being medically retired with 20 yrs vs traditional retirement? Thank you!
COAD - Retirement Orders
- Thread starter 3I0H55A
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I don't know if you have to apply or not but I am sure you won't show up as a medical retiree. Getting accepted into COAD means you are forgoing the results of the PEB. You are allowed to continue to serve even though the PEB found you unfit. So you are retiring with a regular retirement. Which is a great thing! You max out compensation with a 20 year retirement! That's not the case a lot of time with medical retirees due to not reaching 20 AFS and so not being allowed to be paid their medical pension and their VA compensation. The VA compensation offsets the medical retirement. That's why people choose COAD if approved!
When close to 20 years... Medical retirement very risky. May max out compensation but may not. Gross compensation at best can only match gross compensation for a regular retirement. However, medical retirees can be shorted thousands of dollars a month compared to those who earn a regular 20 year retirement.
One comment. I mean I don't know if you have to apply for retirement after being approved for COAD. You do need to apply for COAD after being found unfit and its not a guarantee you will be approved. If you are approved for COAD and can realistically finish out to hit 20 years its the optimal choice.
In my case I was approved for COAD in 2023 and about to reach my 20 year AFS this august. Last year I was told by my PEBLO to submit a retirement packet. I received my retirement orders but my orders are written as a voluntary retiree. I spoke to the HRC COAD team and they said I didnt have to submit a retirement packet and would be receiving retirement orders 120 days from my separation date and the orders would have me medically retired. But I have the option to keep my current orders or have them deleted. I was just curious if there was a significant benefit to being medically retired with 20 yrs AFS vs a traditional retiree. Im tracking i have to submit a BDD claim due to my exams from the MEB being more than a year old.
I am not sure how there is a difference. Pretty sure its splitting hairs. There is no difference in compensation. Maybe there is a difference if the retirement orders change your seperation code on your DD214??? Even if that's case the only benefit I can think of would be having tricare select annual fee waived and I am not sure that would happen. If you choose tricare prime then there is not difference.
I would choose whichever is easier. Once you are able to retire with 20AFS you are golden and there really isn't any differences.