Posted on Oct 15, 2020
What happens to my retirement if I don't finish 20 years?
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Hello everyone
I've been in almost 10 years now and dealing with a MEB... I'll for sure get a med retirement.. But was curious about what happens with the years I've acquired if I were to not work another federal job.
I've been in almost 10 years now and dealing with a MEB... I'll for sure get a med retirement.. But was curious about what happens with the years I've acquired if I were to not work another federal job.
Posted in these groups: 
Retirement
Retirement
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 4
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If you work for the government, your time can transfer, especially if it's a federal job. But there's no law requiring private companies to credit the military time in any way. I'd highly recommend looking into federal employment. Look on usajobs and start putting the feelers out to the professional contacts you must have (should have?) made over the past decade. Even with a VA rating, getting into federal service is hard unless you know the hiring authority or someone close to them. Good luck.
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1SG Bill Farmerie
It only transfers, if you do a military deposit. In other words Pay into the retirement system (probably FERS) for those periods. However, if you get a military retirement and it is not due to an "instrumentality of war" (orders must say this), then you would have to waive your military retirement (no the VA portion) to credit it to your Gov civilian service
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SSgt Thomas L.
Yes, but you can do both. You can collect your military retirement while you're working for the government, then when you're ready to retire from fed, waive your mil retirement, pay back the missing FERS payment, then retire from fed. You'd have to do the math to determine if it's worth it, but I'd imagine any low % medical retirement for someone who was an E6 or below would be better served by having their time credited to a GS retirement.
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1SG Bill Farmerie
SSgt Thomas L. - yes you have to look at a few things. How much is the buy back, what GS grade you end up retiring at (to get an idea of what the high 3 salary will be), the difference in the retirement pays , how long and if you will recoup the difference. I am now in HR for gov and work benefits and retirements for civilians. I have had to discuss this in detail with some.
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The short answer is that there are no years if you don't continue in a federal job. Just like any other job where you leave before hitting the time for your pension, it goes nowhere. That's why the new Blended Retirement System has matching TSP funds.
However if you are medically retired it doesn't matter about making 20 years. At 10 years you are nowhere near making it to 20 and receiving concurrent receipt, but you will still receive retirement based on your years in service. Actually you may receive that or a separation with VA disability. Whichever you receive it will be the higher of the two.
However if you are medically retired it doesn't matter about making 20 years. At 10 years you are nowhere near making it to 20 and receiving concurrent receipt, but you will still receive retirement based on your years in service. Actually you may receive that or a separation with VA disability. Whichever you receive it will be the higher of the two.
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As far as I know, nothing. Unless you continue some sort of government job, you will start your new career with 0 time working for that employer.
Somebody out there may know of employers who count military time towards retirement or seniority, but I have never.
With the MEB you should be almost guaranteed a VA disability rating. Contact the DAV or other organization to assist you with applying. Use your benefits (compensation, education, vocational rehabilitation, etc.,) to set you up for your next phase in life. That is how you make those 10 years count.
Good luck.
Somebody out there may know of employers who count military time towards retirement or seniority, but I have never.
With the MEB you should be almost guaranteed a VA disability rating. Contact the DAV or other organization to assist you with applying. Use your benefits (compensation, education, vocational rehabilitation, etc.,) to set you up for your next phase in life. That is how you make those 10 years count.
Good luck.
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SSgt Christophe Murphy
Going through the PEB there isn't a reason to go through a VSO. All injuries/illnesses are evaluated in addition to what put you on the PEB. At the end you get a stack of paperwork from the VA to include findings for both the DOD percentage for the PEB and the overall % from the VA. Once they ETS/EAS they just drop it off at the VA for processing and they will most likely start getting their payments within 3-6 weeks. PEB folks get fasttracked. I didn't realize how different it was until I was drinking at the VFW one night and everyone started sharing their storeis
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GySgt Kenneth Pepper
SSgt Christophe Murphy - I guess my experience was different, I didn't do a PEB. I retired at 21 years with a boat load of lingering issues, but nothing too bad. Thanks for clarifying the difference with a PEB. Seems like they take good care of folks.
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SSgt Christophe Murphy
GySgt Kenneth Pepper - it has it's ups and downs. The process with Navy medicine leading up to a PEB is borderline depressing. But once you are turned over to the VA docs for the eval portion they are pretty chill and make sure everything gets documented. I was 60% when I first got out and have been bumped up to 90% in the 8 years since getting medically retired. Never had to go through a VSO. It was all done via the PEB process or I submitted the documents myself
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