The Mississippi National Guard Retirement Services Office (RSO) has a mission to serve. That mission goes beyond the traditional drilling Soldier and extends to the furthest boundaries of support, reaching Retirees, Families, Survivors, and even the Active-Duty Staff. 

Our end goal is to bring the most effective guidance to those who are planning, applying, updating, or discontinuing any and all retirement benefits. This goal continues to be reached through various sources of online media support, mass marketing, remote training, and extended customer service. 

Some more direct services we provide include:

• Assisting retirees with military retired pay applications
• Change forms 
• Annuity allotments
• General information
• Providing resources and points of contact when applicable

Bottom line…

Here at the Retirement Services Office, 'We Serve those Who Served!'  THANK YOU for your Service!

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Direct Contacts

Phone: (601) 313-6383
Email: ng.ms.msarng.mbx.msng-retirementservices@army.mil

Address: 1410 Riverside Dr, Jackson MS 39202

Hours: 
0700 – 1430 Mondays (Every other Monday down for Condensed work schedule)
0700 – 1530 Tuesday – Friday

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Jump To

• Announcements
• Pre-Retirement Briefing
• Requesting Retirement
• Medical Retirement
• Age 60 Retirement
• Blended Retirement
• Survivor Benefit Plan
• RCSBP Decision

• SOLDIERS CAN VISIT THE “U.S. ARMY’S RETIREMENT” WEBSITE for more information.  
  LINK: US Army | Soldier For Life 

• Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) will be held at Camp McCain (North) in May and Camp Shelby (South) in November.  For Specific Date’s, Attendee’s can contact Camp McCain’s Family Services office (662-294-0085) or Camp Shelby Mississippi Armed Forces Museum (601-558-2757).

This briefing is a retirement services informational brief for Soldiers with at least 18 years of service to explain their retirement options and provide resources to make an informed decision when the time comes to request retirement and Reserve Component (RC) Survivor Benefits Planning (SBP). Spouses are encouraged to attend. Upcoming events are listed on the announcement page under title “Pre-Retirement Briefing”.

Contact the RSO to register for the event.  ALL briefings will be held at Joint Force Headquarters (JFH).   Dates are subject to change; contact RSO to verify the event

Once you have received your 20 Year Letter, you may make a request for retirement through your unit by submitting your request in writing to your leadership, making sure to include where you would like to be placed upon separation (Retired Reserve (RR) or Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). Read further for more information on these options.

After your request is submitted, the unit will complete your request through submission of an IPPS-A CRM ticket. The ticket will be routed to JFH Enlisted Personnel Management (EPM) or Officer Personnel Management (OPM). Once completed a Transfer Order will be placed into iPERMS for record.

Retired Reserve

Placement in the Retired Reserve allows you to continue to earn Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA), which will heavily impact your retired pay at age 60 (or Retirement Pay Eligible Date [RPED] if reduced). This also allows you to receive a Retired Reserve ID card and the retention of the benefits with the exception Space A overseas as well as subsidized TRICARE (Prime or Select).

Individual Ready Reserve

Placement in the IRR allows you to be placed directly into a Reserve status more easily if you choose to continue your service. Be warned that if you do not take a placement into a Retired Reserve status, you could be separated with no affiliation, preventing you from earning COLA increases and your status listed as Archived (NOT RETIRED), which will negatively affect your retired pay at age 60.

Discharge

You will no longer be a member of the uniformed services, will not receive COLA increases, and will not have access to Retirement benefits.

Once you have made your election and the process of your retirement has begun, review the Pre-Retirement Checklist for information on the steps you should take to ensure a successful transition from the Guard and into the next phase of life. The next time you will need to interact with the Retirement Services Office will be within 9 months of your retirement pay eligibility date, at which point you will refer to the Age 60 Retirement page. 

NOTE: Before separating and trading in your CAC for a Retired Reserve ID card obtain a DS Logon as well as contact DFAS to set-up a “Gray area” Retiree account.  Review the “Post Service” Roadmap for more information and timelines to assure you have not missed any benefits.

Files

• Pre-Retirement Checklist 
• Post Service Roadmap 

I'm being Med Boarded, what can I expect?

For Soldiers being assessed for medical retainability, there are a few to include the type of separation, total years of service, and VA disability compensation.

When a Soldier is separated for medical reasons, a determination is made by the Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) or the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) as to whether the injury is service connected, and a percentage denoting the extent of disability caused. If the percentage of service-connected disability meets or exceeds 30%, the Soldier is then placed on the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL) or if the circumstance of the injury is not stable then placed on Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL). Once the condition becomes stable, Soldiers are generally transferred to the PDRL, but NOT guaranteed.

If a Soldier does not meet this threshold amount of disability (30%), or the injury is deemed to be non-service connected, the Soldier will generally be separated without benefits unless they have more than 15 years of creditable service.

Pay is based on the board’s decision percentage and limited to 30 - 75% of base pay under PDRL and 50-100% under TDRL. When computing pay, apply the percentage given on the Department of the Army separation order to the base pay amount the Soldier falls into on the current DFAS military pay charts .

However, if the retired pay computed using the standard retired pay calculation ({Creditable Points/360} * 2.5% = percentage) is greater than the retired pay based on disability then this amount will be used instead, as it is more beneficial to the Soldier.

After pay is computed, the Soldier should consider their VA disability rating, and whether Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) apply.

The reason for this is, a Soldier cannot receive both retirement pay and VA disability pay at the same time, unless they qualify for CRDP or CRSC.

CRDP should be authorized when a Soldier has 20+ years of creditable service, 50% or greater rating for VA disability and in receipt of Retired Pay. If approved, the Soldier will receive both retired pay and VA disability compensation concurrently.  NOTE: CRDP is taxable AND will be reviewed automatically with Non-Retirement Application at HRC.

CRSC should be authorized when a Soldier has at least a 10% disability rating, the injury is determined to be combat related due to an instrumentality of war (i.e., caused by military equipment) or a result of a simulation of war (i.e., combat training), and in receipt of Retired Pay. If approved, the Soldier will receive funds to restore the VA waiver as a separate payment.  NOTE: CRSC is NON-taxable AND must be requested through HRC.

I've received my Department of the Army Retirement Order, what do I do next?

Once you've received your order placing you on the PDRL or TDRL, you will need to complete DD Form 2656 (found at the bottom of this page) and submit it to DFAS or contact the Retirement Services Office for assistance. The RSO will assist in completing the DD Form 2656 and submit all supporting documents to DFAS through “askDFAS”.

Note for PDRL/TDRL Retired Soldiers

Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) election WILL be made on your DD Form 2656.  Not completing your DD form 2656 before the effective date on your Department of the Army retirement order will be an automatic coverage election for SBP and will be charged for this coverage.

For more information on the subjects above, visit the following websites:

• Disability Retirements 
• Disability Pay 
• Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) 
• Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) 
• CRSC Application Process 

Files

• DD 2656 (March 2022) 

Information Regarding Non-Regular Retirement

20 Year Non-Regular Retirement

Governed by Title 10 of United States Code, Chapter 1223, retired pay for non-regular service is earned when a Service Member accrues 20 years of creditable service towards retirement. A creditable year of service is any full year of time served where the Service Member earns at least 50 points from any source (Title 10 USC 12731 and 12732). Additional stipulations apply for Service Members who earned their 20th year of creditable service before 2005; please reference Title 10 USC 12731 (a)(3). Proof of completing the required time is with the issuance of a Notice of Eligibility for Retired Pay letter, NGB Form 23-D (aka: 20-year letter).

15 Year Non-Regular Retirement

Additionally, Service Members who complete at least 15 years, but less than 20 years of creditable service and discharged due to the proceedings of a Medical Board or Qualification Review Board may be eligible for non-regular retirement at age 60 if they are in receipt of a 15-year letter.

Reduction of Retirement Pay Eligibility Date

A Ready Reserve Service Member (Guardsman or Reservist) can have their non-regular Retirement Pay Eligibility Date (RPED) reduced under the provisions of Title 10 USC 12731 (f)(2) by 90 days for every 90 days spent on active duty after 28 January 2008, if the active duty was pursuant to a call or order to active duty under Sections 688, 12301(a), 12301(d), 12302, 12304, 12304(b), 12305, 12406, or other provisions as given in the above named chapter. This may also include Title 32 502(f) time, but only if the order was for the purposes of responding to a national emergency declared by the President or supported by Federal funds.

These periods must be accrued in 90-day periods during the same fiscal year if they were earned on or before 30 September 2014. After this date, periods accrued can cross fiscal years.

State Taxes:

Mississippi state law does NOT Tax retired pay.

Non-Regular Retirement Packet

Start your retired pay application process early!  Submit your application up to nine months prior to your expected retirement date (RPED) AND NLT 90 days before your expected retirement date.  NOTE: You must be in Retired Reserves to apply.  The application for non-regular retirement consists of the following parts:

• DD Form 108 (all forms are at the bottom of this page)
• DD Form 2656
• 20 Year or 15 Year Letter
• Retired Reserve Order
• Closed out NGB 23C (RPAM: Retirement Points Account Statement)
• DD Form 2656-5 or DD 1883 (If Applicable)
• NGB Form 22
• Promotion Order
• Copy of Marriage Certificate (If Applicable)
• Copy of Divorce Decree (If Applicable)
• Copy of orders and DD 214 from approved Deployments (Reduced Age Only)

For help with completing forms contact the Retirement Services Office or visit HRC Gray Area Branch website at Gray Area Retirements Branch (army.mil) 

Files

 If you are completing your own package and do not have the required files, please contact JFHQ Archives Section at (601) 313-6217.

The Blended Retirement System (BRS) is a new system put in place for Soldiers who joined after 1 January 2018, along with certain qualifying Soldiers who opted-in before 31 December 2017. The BRS blends a 20-year cliff-vested defined benefit annuity and a defined contribution plan that allows eligible NG members to contribute to a Uniformed Services Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). BRS lowers the retirement pay multiplier from 2.5% to 2%, in exchange for an automatic 1% base pay contribution to the Soldier's TSP, along with matching contributions up to 4% for a 5% base pay contribution, IF the Soldier is voluntarily contributing up to 5% of their own funds. Further, Service Members may receive a portion of their retirement annuity as a lump sum upon eligibility to draw retired pay. The amount of the lump sum is a percentage of the estimated amount of retired pay that would be paid from the day that member is eligible to begin receiving retired pay through the first day of the month following the month during which the retiree attains full retirement age. The lump sum amount will be reduced by a certain percentage referred to as the “discount rate.” The initial discount rate applied in computing the amount of the lump sum is set by actuaries and estimated to be 6.9 percent to 7.3 percent. Full retirement age for all born in 1962 or later is age 67.  

Additionally, Soldiers are given the option of Continuation Pay (CP) for service obligation time, which is a required 4 years of service commitment from the signature date on your Continuation Pay Request form. CP requirements are fluid based on current year requirements established by your Service Component.

To inquire about Continuation Pay, please reach out to the G1 Incentives Management Office at (601) 313-6219 or RSO.

Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RC-SBP)

The Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) is designed to provide you, as a retirement-qualified Reserve Component (Army Reserve and Army National Guard) Soldier, an opportunity to provide a guaranteed lifetime annuity for your survivor(s) in the event of your death. RC-SBP allows a Soldier to leave up to 55% of their retired pay base amount to their beneficiary, for a cost based upon length of time covered, type of beneficiaries, and overall covered pay amount. The covered amount can be any amount between $300 to the full gross retired pay amount (55%), and computation of the cost of the plan can be accomplished using the CALCULATOR  provided by the U.S. Army Benefits website.

Election for RCSBP will occur within 90 days of your 20 Year Letter or 15 Year Letter (NOE).  G1(Retirement Services) will send NOE and election forms (DD 2656-5) with a counseling statement for RCSBP to SM reaching their 20 years of service (15, if applicable).  If you have not received your letter the month after reaching 20 years, please contact RPAM NCO at (601) 313-6803.

Elections will consist of Option A, B or C.   “A” means you will not make a decision (DECLINE) until age 60 (or RPED) and requires spouse concurrence, if married.   “B” means you decided to elect coverage, but it will NOT begin until you reach age 60 and requires spouse concurrence, if married. “C” aka “Automatic Election”; your beneficiary will be able to receive pay benefits IMMEDIATELY if you are deceased regardless of age.  NO concurrence is required.   Additionally, if you do not make an election or fail to turn in documents within 90 days to be iPERM’d then you are AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED in Option “C” if you have dependents.

NOTE: you are required to attend a Pre-Retirement Briefing at this point in your career.

The coverage selected will carry forward past RPED and payment will be taken by allotment from DFAS. Further, costs for the Survivor Benefit Plan will begin at retirement age as well.

I've had a major life change, what do I need to do with my SBP coverage?

To make changes to your SBP/RC-SBP coverage, use DD Form 2656-6 for beneficiary changes, and DD Form 2656-1 (at the bottom of this page) to deem an election for a former spouse (normally done as required by court order). Changes using DD Form 2656-6 must be made within 1 year of the change taking place (i.e., before the first anniversary of a new marriage, first birthday of a new child, adoption, etc.).

Coverage under the SBP can later be terminated after 24 months of retired pay has been received, and only between the 25th and 36th month thereafter, using DD Form 2656-2. However, there are NO refunds and RCSBP will continued to be charged due to coverage being completed.

More in-depth information regarding the RC-SBP and SBP can be found at The DFAS Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan site or call the RSO.

FORMS

• DD 108 (Application for Retired Pay Benefits) 
• DD 2656-1 (Election Statement for Former Spouse Coverage) 
• DD 2656-2 (Termination Request (third-year retirees only) 
• DD 2656-5 (Election Certificate) 
• DD 2656-6 (Election Change Certificate) 
• DD 2656-7 (Verification for Survivor Annuity) 
• DD 2656-8 (Auto Coverage Fact Sheet) 
• DD 2656-10 (Request for Deemed Election)