Recent Changes to the U.S. Military Retirement System

The Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2013 included a provision that reduced the cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for working age military retirees by 1 percent until the retiree reaches the age of 62, at which time retired pay is adjusted to the level it would have been had the COLA not been reduced. In a USA Today column defending the legislation, Congressman Paul Ryan explained the provision as follows: "We make no changes for those currently at or above age 62. This reform affects only younger military retirees. Right now any person who has served 20 years can retire regardless of age. That means a serviceman who enlists at 18 becomes eligible for retirement at 38." The Consolidated Appropriations Act amended the BBA to exempt disability retirees and their survivors from the COLA reduction. The COLA reduction is wrong because it targets a single group, military retirees, to help address the budget problems of the Federal Government as a whole. While reforms have been made to the Federal civilian pension, those changes applied prospectively to new employees. By contrast, this change to military pensions will apply upon implementation to current retirees, their families, and survivors.