9154 / What is the legacy retirement system for reserve servicemembers?
The Reserve’s legacy retirement benefits qualification works off a combination of years to qualify for the pension and a points-based system to determine the amount of defined pension benefit.1 As with active duty retirement, a reserve retirement requires 20 years of qualifying service to be eligible for retirement. Generally, reserve retirement benefits begin when the retiree reaches the age of 60. Active duty service after January 28, 2018 can reduce the beginning age by three months for each cumulative period of 90 days of active service in a fiscal year. There are two retirement pay plan options under the legacy system for reservists, the Final Pay or the High-36.
Generally, the formula to calculate the defined benefit pension payment is Retired Base Pay times the multiplier percent. The multiplier percent is calculated as 2.5 percent times the years of creditable service. Years of creditable service in the reserve system is where the points system comes into play. In calculating years of creditable service for retirement pay purposes, the servicemember’s total points at retirement are divided by 360 to calculate the years for the multiplier. Reservists earn points in one of three ways during each year and may earn up to 365 points each year.2 Reservists receive one retirement point for each day they serve on an active duty status, one point for each attendance at a drill period, one point each day for performing funeral honors, and 15 points each year for membership in a reserve component (unless on an active duty status).
The 20 years of creditable service for reserve servicemembers is also calculated differently than their active duty counterparts. A retirement point year in the reserve component begins on the month and day anniversary that the servicemember joined the reserve component and ends 12 months later. This is wholly unrelated to fiscal or calendar years and is another year calculation that reserve servicemember must track. It is entirely possible for a reservist to have served in the reserve component for over 20 years but not have enough creditable years to qualify for retirement benefits. This happens when the servicemember is satisfactorily excused from attendance at a monthly assembly or annual training and fails to earn the requisite 50 points in his or her retirement point year.