The Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) Retirement Services Program provides assistance to Soldiers and their Families preparing for and transitioning to retirement, Families of Soldiers who die on active duty, Retired Soldiers, surviving Spouses, and their Families. Through a network of Retirement Services Officers (RSOs) at major Army installations, National Guard State Headquarters, and Army Reserve Readiness Divisions (RDs) and Mission Support Commands (MSCs) worldwide, they: 1) provide counseling to these groups on their rights, benefits and entitlements, 2) provide Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) counseling and assist with maintaining SBP elections, 3) provide Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) counseling and assist with maintaining RCSBP elections and 4) keep the retiree population informed of law and benefit changes.

Retirement planning services of local RSOs are available to active duty, Army National Guard (ARNG), and United States Army Reserve (USAR) Soldiers, and their Families. Post-retirement program services are available to all Retired Soldiers, surviving Spouses, and their Families.

Major program components include:

Retirement Planning

• Mandatory Retirement Planning Seminar– All USAR Soldiers with 20 or more years of active service must attend a retirement planning seminar with an RSO between the time their retirement application is submitted and at least 12 months before their official retirement date (or the date of departure on terminal leave). Click here to read the retirement planning Guide, and here to access the Army Retirement Planning toolkit. Reserve Component (RC) Soldiers who have received their Notification of Eligibility (NOE) for Retired Pay at Age 60 (the 20 or 15 year letter) must receive a mandatory Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) briefing between 18 years of service and up to 60 days after receiving the NOE. If an AGR Soldier is eligible for a non-regular retirement, they may elect to attend a retirement planning seminar prior to applying for non-regular retired pay at the age of eligibility, usually age 60 unless eligible for reduced age retirement under the provisions of Title 10 United States Code section 12731.
  • Provisions will be made to assist medically retiring Soldiers who may be so severely wounded/injured that neither the Soldier nor the Family members are able to attend a retirement planning seminar/SBP briefing. Such special briefings should be conducted no later than the start of the Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) process.
• Mandatory Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Counseling - Every USAR Soldier who retires with 20 or more years of Active Federal Services (AFS) must receive counseling by a certified Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP)/ Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Counselor on available SBP options and the potential effects of participating or not participating in each of these options. This counseling should take place after the retirement application is submitted and at least 60 days before the official retirement date. Spouses are encouraged to attend. If election is less than the maximum Spouse coverage allowable by law, the Spouse must be provided SBP counseling and/or information on SBP elections and consequences of the elections. Reserve Component Soldiers must receive the mandatory RCSBP briefing and “gray area” benefits briefing between 18 years of service up to 60 days of receipt of NOE. Soldiers should be counseled that an RCSBP election of Option B or C remains in effect if the Soldier retires with a non-regular retirement. Soldiers who elected Option A must make an SBP election at non-regular retirement.
• Mandatory SBP Election– USAR Soldiers with 20 years or more of active service Soldier must complete their SBP election on a DD Form 2656 no later than the day before their regular retirement of 20 or more years of Active Federal Service (AFS). Soldier Failure to complete the SBP election within the above time- frame will result in full SBP coverage for the dependent(s) at retirement. If the Soldier is married, the Spouse must provide notarized written concurrence with the election when the Soldier elects less than the maximum Spouse SBP coverage. Without the Spouse's written notarized concurrence prior to date retired, the Soldier will receive the maximum level of coverage allowable under the law. Any previous elections made under RCSBP will not affect the Soldier’s SBP election at Regular (active service) retirement. For more information, refer to the SBP page at https://Soldierforlife.army.mil/Retirement/survivor-benefit-plan. Soldier
• Change of Mission Newsletter - The Army’s retirement planning newsletter, Change of Mission, is a quarterly, electronic newsletter sent to Soldiers in all three components with 17+ years of service who have not yet retired. Change of Mission educates Soldiers about the retirement process, the decisions they and their Families will make leading up to and immediately after their retirements, how their benefits will change when they retire, and why the Army wants them to be active Soldiers for Life in retirement.

Post-retirement

• Retiree Council Programs- The HQDA Retirement Services office administers the Chief of Staff, Army (CSA) Retired Soldier Council; each installation RSO administers an Installation Retiree Council. The main objectives of the councils are to provide input to Army leadership on significant issues affecting the retiree community and to help the Army communicate with the retired community across the Army. The Army’s Retired Soldier Council Program consists of five elements:
  • The CSA Retired Soldier Council established by the CSA and chartered by HQDA
  • Installation Retiree Councils established and chartered by individual installation or garrison commanders
  • Army Service Component Commands (ASCC) Retiree Councils established and chartered by ASCC commanders
  • State Retiree Councils established and chartered by The Adjutants General (TAG) of the States and Territories
  • RD or MSC Retiree Councils established and chartered by RD or MSC commanders.
• Retiree Appreciation Days (RADs)- RADs are conducted by installation and Reserve Component (RC) RSOs to keep Retired Soldiers and their Families informed of rights, benefits, and privileges and to foster goodwill between the retired and currently serving communities. RADs are conducted at least annually by major Army installations in CONUS and by garrisons in overseas command. Click here for current schedule. These dates are published in Army Echoes and in local installation newsletters sent to the retiree community in their area of operation.
• Army Echoes - The Army Retirement Services office publishes the Army Echoes newsletter four times per year to keep Retired Soldiers and their Spouses in touch with the Army and inform them of their rights, benefits, and responsibilities. Army Echoes is sent electronically to all Retired Soldiers and SBP annuitants to the email address associated with their myPay accounts with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Only those without an email address in myPay will receive the hardcopy edition of Army Echoes.

Other

• As of 15 May 2009, all Soldiers, regardless of component, are entitled to receive the Army Retiring Soldier Commendation Program Package upon retirement. The package includes the following:
  • A personalized full-color letter signed by the Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Army, and Sergeant Major of the Army
  • Full-color box carrier
  • U.S. Flag
  • U.S. Army Retired Lapel Button
  • One DA Label 180 (exterior) and one DA label 180-1 (interior) "Soldier for Life" window stickers.
• Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act (USFSPA) - RSOs assist the servicing legal assistance office in their area in counseling active and Retired Soldiers, Spouses, and former Spouses on the legislation regarding Former Spouse SBP and division of retired pay.
• For more information about the services provided by the Army Retirement Services Program, please see the websites in the "Additional Information" section below.

For more information, visit the website maintained by the Department of the Army Soldier for Life at:
https://soldierforlife.army.mil/Retirement

Retirement Services Program Army Regulation 600-8-7:
https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN30707-AR_600-8-7-000-WEB-1.pdf

Army Retirement Service Officers:
https://soldierforlife.army.mil/retirement/rso

For National Archives Military Records Request information:
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records