Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of his strong commitment to our nation’s veterans, Congressman Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) is introducing the Reserve Component Fairness Act, legislation to correct an inequity in military retirement rules that disadvantages veterans who served on regular active duty before transitioning to the National Guard or Reserve.

Under current law, certain members of the Ready Reserve can reduce the age at which they receive Reserve retirement pay below age 60 by three months for every qualifying 90-day period of active service. However, that credit generally applies only to qualifying active-duty service performed while the service member was already affiliated with the Ready Reserve or National Guard.

As a result, a veteran who serves several years on regular active duty before joining the Reserve can receive no credit toward a reduced retirement age for that prior qualifying service. Meanwhile, a reservist who performs the same qualifying active-duty service after joining the Ready Reserve can receive the full retirement-age reduction.

The Reserve Component Fairness Act would allow qualifying active-duty service performed after January 28, 2008, before a service member joins the Ready Reserve to count toward reducing the age at which they can receive Reserve retirement pay.

“I am grateful to the veterans who brought this inequity to my attention, and grateful for being in a position to do something to correct it,” said Congressman Hamadeh, a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the House Armed Services Committee. “We must eliminate disparities whenever possible and ensure that our nation’s heroes are treated fairly and their sacrifices are honored.”

“This legislation corrects a situation created by bureaucrats who arbitrarily made a distinction between two service members who may have performed identical active-duty service under the same conditions,” Congressman Hamadeh continued. “This common-sense legislation changes that without creating a new retirement benefit or altering eligibility for non-regular retired pay. Members must still satisfy all existing statutory requirements for a Reserve retirement, including completing 20 qualifying years of service, and the current statutory minimum retirement age of 50 remains unchanged.”

The legislation recognizes that the value of qualifying military service should not depend solely on whether a service member performed that service before or after affiliating with the Ready Reserve.

By treating qualifying active-duty service equally, the Reserve Component Fairness Act would help strengthen recruitment and retention in the Reserve Components while ensuring veterans receive fair treatment for the service they have already provided to the nation.