This bill requires the Coast Guard to retain enlisted members with 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service until they qualify for retirement, with specific provisions for Reserve members.
Jennifer Kiggans
Representative
VA-2
This bill amends federal law to require the Coast Guard to retain certain enlisted members who have served 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service. It prevents the involuntary separation or non-reenlistment of these long-serving members until they reach 20 years of service for retirement eligibility. This provision applies to both Regular and Reserve enlisted personnel serving on active duty.
Coast Guard Bill Guarantees Retirement: Stops Involuntary Separation for Members with 18+ Years of Service
This bill section, SEC. 1, is straightforward: if you’re an enlisted member of the Coast Guard who is close to retirement—specifically, with 18 or more years of service but less than 20—the Coast Guard can’t kick you out or deny you reenlistment. They must keep you on the payroll until you hit that crucial 20-year mark needed to qualify for a full military retirement. This provision is designed to protect long-serving personnel from losing their accrued benefits right at the finish line.
The 18-Year Safety Net for Regular Service
For those in the Regular Coast Guard, the rule is simple and absolute. If you are facing involuntary separation or your contract isn't being renewed, and you’re sitting at 18 or 19 years of service, the Coast Guard must retain you on active duty until you reach 20 years. This closes a loophole where administrative or budgetary decisions could effectively strip someone of their retirement after nearly two decades of commitment. Think of it as a mandatory guarantee: once you hit 18 years, the Coast Guard is obligated to see you through to the retirement finish line.
Protecting the Reserves’ Active Status
The bill also extends this protection to enlisted members of the Coast Guard Reserve who are serving in an active status. The rules here are slightly more complex but offer the same security. If a Reservist in active status has 18 to 20 years of service, the Coast Guard cannot involuntarily discharge them, deny reenlistment, or move them out of active status unless the member agrees to it first. This is a big deal for job security.
If the Reservist has between 18 and 19 years of service, they are protected until they qualify for 20 years, or until the third anniversary of the date they were supposed to be separated. If they are even closer—between 19 and 20 years—that protection lasts until they hit 20 years, or until the second anniversary of the original separation date. This ensures that even if their active status ends, they have a defined window to complete their service requirements, protecting their investment of time and effort.
What This Means in the Real World
For the service member, this bill is a huge win for financial stability and career planning. Imagine being a Chief Petty Officer with 19 years of service who has planned their entire family’s future around that military pension, only to face a sudden involuntary separation due to a force reduction. This bill eliminates that nightmare scenario, guaranteeing that the time they’ve put in translates into the retirement they earned. For the Coast Guard, while this reduces some flexibility in personnel management—they can’t easily shed experienced personnel for cost savings—it retains valuable institutional knowledge. It’s a trade-off that ultimately favors morale and experience over short-term budgetary freedom.