U.S. Coast Guard members watch as the Cutter Munro returns to Alameda, Calif., on Nov. 25, 2024. The Munro deployed for two months on a counter-drug patrol in international waters off the coasts of Central and South America in the eastern Pacific Ocean. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Danish Khan/U.S. Coast Guard photo )
WASHINGTON — Coast Guard members who are a few years short of eligibility for retirement benefits would have their jobs protected under a new House bill introduced this week.
The legislation aims to ensure retirement parity between the Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, and the rest of the armed forces, which operate under the Department of Defense.
Unlike other service members, members of the Coast Guard can be forced to leave the service a couple years shy of qualifying for retirement at 20 years of service if their enlistment expires and they are denied reenlistment.
The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force and Air Force will retain enlisted members that have served a minimum of 18 years in such cases to ensure they can retire with full military benefits once they reach a 20-year retirement.
“This is about fairness, recognizing the sacrifices of our Coast Guard and ensuring these service members are not forced out just before reaching retirement eligibility,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., who introduced the legislation.
The bill requires the Coast Guard to keep enlisted members whose term of enlistment has expired and who are denied reinstatement if they are within two years of retirement. Kiggans, a Navy veteran, said the proposal would strengthen retention, morale and fairness.
Coast Guard members who are discharged from service for legal reasons would not be eligible for retainment under the legislation.
Several military and veterans organizations have praised the bill as a long overdue step toward correcting inequalities faced by Coast Guard members compared to other service members.
The legislation “aligns their protections with other military branches,” John Vick, the executive director of the nonprofit group Concerned Veterans for America, said in a statement. “It guarantees them the same retirement for the same service.”
Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, a co-sponsor of the bill, said it would allow Coast Guard members to “fairly advocate for themselves, just as their fellow service members in the other service branches.”
“Every day, the Coast Guard stands ready to defend our country and assist mariners in need, and we must never forget to take care of them, too,” she said.
