7/25/2013 – JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) – The Air Force will convene a selective early retirement board Dec. 9 to consider eligible lieutenant colonels and colonels for retirement under the FY14 Force Management Program.
SERB is one of several FM programs to be implemented in FY14 to help size and balance the force to meet authorized end strength levels, said Lt. Col. John Barlett, the Air Force Personnel Center Operations Division chief.
The lieutenant colonel board will consider officers who have been twice nonselected for promotion to colonel by Dec. 9, the date the board convenes. Career fields affected include Line of the Air Force, Nurse Corps, Biomedical Sciences Corps, Line of the Air Force – Judge Advocate General and Medical Services Corps.
Lieutenant colonels who met the 2010 or the 2011 SERB boards will not be considered for this SERB. In addition, officers who are initially eligible for consideration will not be considered for SERB if they are recommended for promotion before the board convenes, Barlett explained.
The colonel selective early retirement board will also convene Dec. 9 to consider colonels who have four years or more of active duty time in grade as of the date the board convenes, said Maj. Ryan Stebbins, Headquarters Air Force Colonel Management Office. The SERB will consider colonels from LAF, LAF-JA, MSC, and Nurse Corps. Colonels who met the 2010 or 2012 board will not be considered this year.
SERB-eligible officers who do not want to meet the Dec. 9 board may apply for voluntary retirement now through Nov. 15 and may request up to a Sept. 1, 2014, effective retirement date. Members may still apply after Nov. 15, but those who do will meet the SERB and, if selected, will have a retirement date of July 1, 2014, established for them, Barlett said.
“If you want to retire after July 1, 2014, you need to apply early and remove yourself from SERB consideration,” he said.
Voluntary retirement applicants will be notified by Nov. 29 if their requests are approved.
Officers interested in voluntary retirement can take advantage of other Force Management Program options, if necessary, including limited active duty service commitment and time in grade waivers.
Those who use other FM programs to enable them to retire voluntarily may have to repay funds, Barlett said. For example, officers who do not complete the active duty service commitment incurred for transferring their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to a family member may have to pay back the monetary value of any transferred benefits used by a family member. Officers selected for retirement by the board, however, will not have to repay those benefits.
“Every eligible officer should carefully read the information available on myPers and ensure they understand all their options and the impact of each,” Barlett said.
The retirement application and review process normally takes 4-6 weeks, so Barlett encouraged officers interested in voluntary retirement to complete their applications in sufficient time for coordination and approval.
“SERB will be conducted using the Electronic Board Operations Support System,” he said. “Therefore, it is imperative that officers ensure their electronic records are accurate prior to the board convening date. To review, go through the Portal or myPers to the Personnel Records Display Application on the secure applications site.”
SERB-eligible officers are retirement eligible, so they can participate in and receive transition assistance services offered at their local Airman and Family Readiness Center without time restrictions, Stebbins said.
Transitional Assistance Program services include the Congressionally-mandated preseparation counseling, an opportunity to attend a three- to five-day TAP employment workshop, veterans benefit briefings, targeted transition-related seminars and one-on-one assistance to develop an Individual Transition Plan.
“Attending a transition assistance program seminar is mandatory, and the value of the information, contacts and long-term support is immeasurable,” Barlett said. “The Airman and family readiness centers are a great benefit to our separating Airmen.”
For more information about SERB, including full preparation requirements, as well as information about other retirement programs, go to myPers at https://mypers.af.mil. Enter “PSDM 13-67” for lieutenant colonels or “PSDM 13-70” for colonels.