A bill to amend title 14, United States Code, to require the retention of certain enlisted members of the Coast Guard who have completed 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service, and for other purposes.
This bill would create a new provision (Sec. 2517) in Title 14 of the U.S. Code to retain Coast Guard enlisted personnel who are close to retirement eligibility but not yet there—specifically those with 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service. For regular Coast Guard enlisted members who are involuntarily separated or whose enlistment ends and who are within two years of qualifying for retirement, the bill would require they remain on active duty until they are retirement-eligible (under current law, typically at 20 years). For Coast Guard Reserve members in active status who face involuntary separation or denial of reenlistment (and who have 18–<20 years of service), the bill would prohibit discharge or transfer without their consent until the earlier of reaching 20 years of service or the applicable timeframes (a third anniversary if they have 18–<19 years, or a second anniversary if they have 19–<20 years). A clerical amendment would insert this new section into the indexing of the chapter. In short, the bill aims to improve retention of experienced Coast Guard personnel nearing 20 years of service by delaying separations and requiring consent before discharge for certain Reserve members, effectively extending active-duty status toward retirement eligibility.
Key Points
- 1Adds new section 2517 to Title 14 U.S.C. to retain enlisted Coast Guard members who have 18–<20 years of service.
- 2Regular component: If an enlisted member is slated for involuntary separation or his/her enlistment ends and reenlistment is denied, and the member is within two years of retirement eligibility, the member must be kept on active duty until retirement eligibility is reached (unless they are retired or discharged earlier under other law).
- 3Reserve component (active status): If an enlisted Reserve member is slated for involuntary separation (not for disability or cause) or reenlistment is denied (not for disability or cause), and they have 18–<20 years of service, they cannot be discharged, denied reenlistment, or transferred without their consent before the earlier of:
- 4- For 18–<19 years: (A) the date they would be credited with 20 years, or (B) the third anniversary of when they would otherwise be discharged or transferred; and
- 5- For 19–<20 years: (A) the date they would be credited with 20 years, or (B) the second anniversary of when they would otherwise be discharged or transferred.
- 6Clerical amendment: Adds an index entry for the new Sec. 2517 to the chapter’s analysis.
- 7Not a broad pay or benefit expansion; rather, a specific retention mechanism aimed at keeping near-20-year personnel in service until retirement eligibility is reached.