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Military benefits are definitely unfair... For enlisted.
Only 17% of military folks even make it to that 20 year finish line. The pension that enlisted folks get compared to officers is sad. You still have to work a 2nd job even after retiring if you're enlisted.
The enlisted pension isn't enough for the pain, sweat, and tears you had to put in. IMO.
SFC (E-7) @ 20 yrs $21k along w/ lifetime health care coverage for self and family.
I saw the writing on the wall, earned a degree after being an enlisted Soldier for one enlistment, entered ROTC @ the university and the rest is history.
I think the lastest retirement benefits are trying to shift benefits to the Soldiers who don't get to 20-yr pensions but have invested a huge segment of their lives serving (ie the 8-15 yr in service group).
Military benefits are definitely unfair... For enlisted.
Only 17% of military folks even make it to that 20 year finish line. The pension that enlisted folks get compared to officers is sad. You still have to work a 2nd job even after retiring if you're enlisted.
The enlisted pension isn't enough for the pain, sweat, and tears you had to put in. IMO.
The pension is based on 'base-pay' using the same formula for both enlisted and officer.
I retired s an E6 at 20 years, we still had two children living at home, and I was able to support our family on my pension. That was 15 years ago. Our children have since moved away.
Retired in 1981 as E-8. After Tricare was established, our Medical expenses were completely paid for and they were used. Then after turning 65 Tricare For Life kicked in and it is our Medicare supplemental. Yeah, I worked in the civilian world after retiring for 17 years and saved. We have a good life and can do just about anything we want. Also I would do it again, pay wasn't an issue, I knew I wasn't going to get rich but I enjoyed every 20+ years of the time.
The pension is based on 'base-pay' using the same formula for both enlisted and officer.
That doesn’t make it fair for enlisted, hence the reason it’s not good enough to prevent 83% of military members from separating before they reach 20.
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Originally Posted by BucFan
SFC (E-7) @ 20 yrs $21k along w/ lifetime health care coverage for self and family.
.
And one still have to get a 2nd job while the officer who retired doesn’t need one.
If the enlisted pension was fair, more enlisted folks would do 20 to collect it.
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But the pension also exacerbates inequality within the military, namely the gap between the share of officers and enlisted soldiers who end up collecting the benefit (49% of officers versus 17% overall). This may not be the most efficient way to spend military resources because, arguably, officers—who account for around 20% of active duty personnel—have less need for such a generous pension. They tend to be more skilled and better educated, which means they have stronger earnings prospects after they leave the military.
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The military estimates that the net present value of its pension at retirement is around $200,000 for an enlisted soldier and $700,000 for an officer.
I was 37 when I retired, and love the retirement.....I also took the 40% at 15 years to stay in till 20...ended up doing 21 and some change....retired as an E-7.....
Personally I would still be in if they would have just let me do my job and be a flight engineer on the Chinook....but no, they want you over here, over there....but that's another rant.....
This may seem like a silly question, But I've recently been debating others, both military retirees as well as non-military who feel that a) the defined benefit plan that military members get after 20 years is unfair and a burden on society and b) we should be paying FAR more for our Tricare benefits.
I enlisted in 1991 and decided at some point along the way to make it a career. I didn't intend to at the start of my initial enlistment but military life kind of grew on me (like a fungus?) At any rate, at about year 10 came the make-or-break decision to go indef. Of course anyone who puts in a full 20, especially in line units, is essentially giving the people of the United States the best years of their life with regards to health.
I've heard all the arguments, that the exchange and commissary benefits give us an unfair advantage. I've heard that the military retirement was never intended to be the sole means of income for a military retiree. And recently I've begun to hear from some people that it should be acceptable to renegotiate the terms of our retirement after the fact and reduce our overly generous retirement benefits, and scale them down to something more along the lines of what our civilian counterparts get.
When presented with the facts that military members don't receive overtime, or shift differential pay, can't fluff their retirement in the final years by working massive amounts of overtime and don't have their food and housing allowances included in the computation of their retirement, all seems to go silent and I'm redirected to the old line of "You should have known that nothing is guaranteed, yada yada yada".
Maybe I'm being hard headed and not seeing things clearly. Do we have an unfair advantage over the rest of the Americans who actually get a pension? I'm willing to accept that a defined contribution plan may be the best way going forward. Of course this would require the DOD to overhaul the compensation system as a whole, but for those of us who have already done our part and retired, are we being too demanding of our country? I ask that seriously because as I stated earlier, there are quite a few people I've spoken with, including a retired Officer, who seem to think that we are grossly overcompensated in retirement. Thoughts?
I am just a civilian. So it is not about unfairness to me. If I want military benefits, all I have to do is enlisting. If I don't want to enlist, then I shouldn't moan about military retirement benefits. This is my opinion.
So, they (military service members) deserve every penny. Not unfair to me.
The way I see it? Retirement is NOT property, nor is it a pension. It cannot be sold, traded or passed on to heirs. It is a retainer (basically standby pay) and that was all it was intended to be since it began in 1945.
Military benefits are definitely unfair... For enlisted.
Only 17% of military folks even make it to that 20 year finish line. The pension that enlisted folks get compared to officers is sad. You still have to work a 2nd job even after retiring if you're enlisted.
The enlisted pension isn't enough for the pain, sweat, and tears you had to put in. IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocko20
That doesn’t make it fair for enlisted, hence the reason it’s not good enough to prevent 83% of military members from separating before they reach 20.
And one still have to get a 2nd job while the officer who retired doesn’t need one.
If the enlisted pension was fair, more enlisted folks would do 20 to collect it.
Rocko I don't think the retirement is unfair or more fair for officers than it is for enlisted. I spent nearly 38 years in total. I did most of that as a reservist but the point is the same with a small exception that I could not take my retirement pay until reached 60. I have almost the same amount of points as an active duty soldier with just over 6000 points with active duty 20 years is 7300 points. I retired as an E8 and I get just about the same pay a retired active duty E8 now. While I see this as not quite enough to live but I can put that up against my SS and my wife SS at any age we would be comfortable. Even officers I know active duty retirees go to work when they retire for civilian employers usually the federal government as a civilian employee or a contractor. They do that because even their retirement pay doesn't make up for their entire active duty pay. Once you are in your shoes (your gross pay) when it shrinks there is a lot of space to fill. So like many of those I went to work. As a reservist I had the luxury of working on my civilian retirement as well as my military retirement (simultaneously for me).
Both retirements are based on your base pay and years of service (points).
While I do sympathize with you that we should be paid better I have a more pressing quarrel with the military retirement system. If you also receive a VA disability check and you are not more than 40% rated disabled for service connected injuries you will be docked our of your retirement check the exact same amount you get in your VA check. It is in the law of concurrent pay and disability pay and it was designed for those on active duty collecting disability pay but it also included retirees and those collecting combat-related special pay (people medically discharged for injuries before they reached retirement years (20)). In my book just because a person isn't more than half broke they have to pay for their disability out of their retirement pay. I think that is something worth complaining about.
If you also receive a VA disability check and you are not more than 40% rated disabled for service connected injuries you will be docked our of your retirement check the exact same amount you get in your VA check.
But you do not pay taxes on that VA disability check which you get, so in the end. you do come out with more money in your pocket.
That doesn’t make it fair for enlisted, hence the reason it’s not good enough to prevent 83% of military members from separating before they reach 20.
I do not see this as being 'unfair'.
The reason that most get out, is not about the pension. It is about the job. I got out at the end of my first enlistment. I hated the job.
In my community what causes men to re-enlist is the bonus cash they are given for re-enlisting.
Quote:
... And one still have to get a 2nd job while the officer who retired doesn’t need one.
If the enlisted pension was fair, more enlisted folks would do 20 to collect it.
A person' ability to live on their pension is all about their spending habits and lifestyle.
But you do not pay taxes on that VA disability check which you get, so in the end. you do come out with more money in your pocket.
And that is the only reason to take it. There is a bill in the house that has been in committee since 2015 to fix that but it is just sitting there cause there is just not enough people complaining to congress. It has bi-partisan support by 122 members of congress across 41 states and territories.
I have my congressman's ear on this but he can't do it alone. I bet if I could get more people to write their congress about the bill it could get passed.
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