Retirement Center
Plain-language explainers on military retirement pay, VA benefits, TRICARE, and transition planning — each reviewed against official sources. Benefits information is educational only and does not replace official guidance from your service, DFAS, VA, or TRICARE. Checklists are planning aids and do not replace official service requirements. This platform does not provide tax, investment, legal, medical, or individualized claims advice, and does not predict disability ratings or VA outcomes.
Looking for the source sites themselves? Browse the free Official Resources directory (DoD-wide and by service).
Blended Retirement System (BRS) Overview
BRS combines a reduced defined-benefit pension (2.0% per year of service) with automatic and matching government TSP contributions, plus a mid-career Continuation Pay bonus.
Converting SGLI to VGLI Life Insurance
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) ends at separation, but eligible veterans can convert to Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) within specific deadlines, in some cases without medical underwriting.
CRDP and CRSC: Restoring the VA Offset
Retired pay is normally reduced dollar-for-dollar by VA disability compensation, but Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) can restore some or all of that offset for qualifying retirees.
DD 2656 and Survivor Benefit Plan Overview
Form DD 2656 is the core retired-pay setup document for most DoD retirees; it captures banking, tax withholding, beneficiaries, and Survivor Benefit Plan elections that feed DFAS processing.
DEERS and Dependent ID Cards After Separation
DEERS eligibility records must be kept current for retirees and dependents to keep TRICARE, base access, and ID-card privileges accurate after separation or retirement.
DOD SkillBridge: Civilian Job Training Before You Separate
SkillBridge lets eligible service members spend up to their final 180 days of service in an approved civilian training, apprenticeship, or internship while still receiving military pay and benefits.
Filing a Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) Claim
BDD lets separating service members file a VA disability claim 90 to 180 days before separation so a decision can potentially be reached closer to their separation date.
GI Bill Education Benefits Overview
The Post-9/11 GI Bill can cover tuition, housing allowance, and books for eligible veterans and, in some cases, can be transferred to a spouse or dependent child while still serving.
Managing Your Military Transition Timeline
Treat retirement transition as a multi-month project: many activities may begin up to 24 months out, and TAP-related steps generally must start no later than 365 days before separation.
Military Retirement Eligibility Basics
Active-duty members generally become eligible for non-disability retired pay at 20 years of creditable active service; Reserve/Guard members qualify for retired pay at age 60 (or earlier under certain qualifying active-duty periods) after 20 qualifying years.
Preparing for BDD — Without Claims Advice
Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) is a VA program window for certain pre-discharge disability claims, generally filed when 180 to 90 days remain before separation; this overview explains preparation steps only.
REDUX vs. High-3: What's the Difference?
REDUX offered a one-time Career Status Bonus at the 15-year mark in exchange for a reduced multiplier (2.0% per year instead of 2.5%) and slower cost-of-living adjustments, with pay recalculated to the High-3 rate at age 62.
Requesting Your DD Form 214
The DD Form 214 is your official record of military service and separation, required for most VA benefits, employment verification, and retirement processing, and it can be requested through your service or the National Archives.
Setting Up Your DFAS Retiree Pay Account
Retired pay is administered by DFAS through the myPay online account, where retirees manage direct deposit, tax withholding, and annual pay statements.
Spouse and Family Transition Planning
Military spouses can access their own TAP-affiliated resources and MyCAA education funding while the sponsor is still serving, and family transition planning should start well before the change-of-status date.
Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Basics
SBP is an optional annuity that continues up to 55% of a retiree's pay to a named beneficiary after death, funded through premiums withheld from retired pay.
The Final Pay Retirement System, Explained
Final Pay calculates retired pay from your single highest basic pay rate at retirement, multiplied by 2.5% per year of service; it applies only to members who first entered service before September 8, 1980.
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): What Happens at Retirement
TSP balances remain in the account after retirement and continue to be managed and withdrawn under TSP's own rules, separate from military retired pay and VA benefits.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Overview
TAP is a DOD-mandated pre-separation program covering VA benefits, financial planning, and one of four individualized career tracks, capped by a Capstone readiness review.
TRICARE After Military Retirement — Overview
Retiree TRICARE options depend on age, Medicare status, and family eligibility; updating DEERS and confirming enrollment steps before separation helps avoid coverage gaps.
TRICARE For Life and Medicare Coordination
TRICARE For Life provides wraparound coverage to Medicare with no separate TRICARE enrollment fee once a retiree becomes entitled to Medicare Part A and enrolls in Medicare Part B, typically around age 65.
TRICARE Options After Retirement
Retirees generally shift from active-duty TRICARE coverage to TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, with different enrollment fees and cost-shares than active-duty families pay.
Understanding the High-3 Retirement System
High-3 calculates retired pay from the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay, multiplied by 2.5% per year of service, and applies to most members who entered service between September 8, 1980 and December 31, 2017.
VA Disability Compensation: How It Works
VA disability compensation is a tax-free monthly benefit for veterans with service-connected conditions, with payment amounts based on a combined disability rating and dependent status.