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yesterday

Air Force Revokes Early Retirement Benefits for Transgender Airmen

The memo rescinds previously approved early retirements, stripping pension benefits from transgender airmen with 15–18 years of service.

FILE - The logo of the Department of the U.S. Air Force at the United Staes embassy, in Berlin, Aug. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
A United States Air Force (USAF) insignia decorates an officer’s uniform near a Boeing Co. F15-E Strike Eagle combat aircraft of the 48th Fighter Wing while taking part in the joint NATO exercise ”Point Blank” from their base at RAF Lakenheath, near Brandon, Suffolk, U.K., on Thursday, June 27, 2019. ‘Point Blank’ focuses on fourth and fifth generation aircraft integration across three nations with a total of 48 aircraft meeting in the skies over the North Sea, said Lt. Col. Jason Watkins, commander of the 48th Operations Support Squadron. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Overview

  • An August 4 memo from acting Assistant Secretary Brian Scarlett disapproved all Temporary Early Retirement Authority exception requests for transgender airmen with 15–18 years of service.
  • About a dozen service members who had been prematurely notified of approved retirements saw their applications reversed with no exceptions granted.
  • Affected airmen must choose between a lump-sum separation payment or an involuntary discharge without pension benefits.
  • Transgender service members with 18–20 years of service remain eligible for early retirement benefits under the same policy.
  • Transgender airmen and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have filed federal lawsuits alleging the policy violates equal protection and anti-discrimination laws.