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The U.S. Air Force will deny early retirement options to trans-identifying service members who have served between 15 and 18 years, stating they will be separated without retirement benefits instead.
The decision, as reported by the Associated Press, applies only to trans-identifying service members with 15 to 18 years of service who have been instructed to separate from the military under the reinstated ban on transgender troops. Those who had served at least 20 years and were thus eligible for full retirement were simply instructed to take it.
The Air Force did approve early retirement for a number of trans-identifying service members who had served at least 18 years but not the full 20 years for traditional retirement benefits. A number of those who had served more than 15 years but less than 18 had been allowed to submit appeals requesting an exception to the policy, but none were approved.
“Although service members with 15-18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved,” an Air Force spokesperson told The AP, adding, “Approximately a dozen service members between 15 and 18 years of service were prematurely notified that their [early retirement] applications under the gender dysphoria provision had been approved.”
In lieu of approving those appeals, those with 15 to 18 years of service will receive separation pay at double the rate they would normally receive for involuntary separation from the military. Any remaining service requirements, such as years of service tied to either education benefits or enlistment or reenlistment bonuses, “will be waived” — meaning that there will be no additional barrier for those who would prefer to transfer their G.I. Bill education benefits to eligible family members.
A memo sent on Monday announced that the decision to deny those additional retirement benefits was made “after careful consideration of the individual applications.”
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