Provision Could Affect Technician Retirement

A provision of the recently enacted defense authorization bill (P.L. 109-163) could allow some “dual status” technicians to retire later than under prior policy. Dual status technicians are civilian employees of the Defense Department who must hold positions in the military reserves. Under prior policy, some Army technicians were forced to retire from their civil service positions when they reached the maximum years of service for officers in their grade and became eligible for an unreduced federal annuity, usually at age 55 or 56. The new law directs the Army to allow them to remain in the reserves until they reach age 60.