Hey everyone, I’m planning to start my National Guard retirement process, but IDK how to begin. My retirement date is April 3, 2025, and I’ve been out of the Guard since 2005. Honestly, I’m not great with cell phones either, so I’m kind of lost. Who should I contact to get things rolling? Any tips would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
You should probably reach out to your Retirement Services Office (RSO) or even DFAS. They handle a lot of this stuff.
Zephyr said:
You should probably reach out to your Retirement Services Office (RSO) or even DFAS. They handle a lot of this stuff.
Thanks! What’s DFAS? I’m not familiar with that acronym.
Zephyr said:
You should probably reach out to your Retirement Services Office (RSO) or even DFAS. They handle a lot of this stuff.
Oh, my bad—DFAS stands for Defense Finance and Accounting Service. They deal with pay and retirement-related issues. Hope that helps!
Since you’ve been out since 2005, you might want to track down your service records first. Do you have those on hand?
Branley said:
Since you’ve been out since 2005, you might want to track down your service records first. Do you have those on hand?
No clue where those are… Any idea how I can get them?
Branley said:
Since you’ve been out since 2005, you might want to track down your service records first. Do you have those on hand?
You can request them through the National Archives. Google ‘military service records request,’ and you should find the site.
FYI, you might also want to contact S1 from your last unit. They can sometimes help guide you.
Vail said:
FYI, you might also want to contact S1 from your last unit. They can sometimes help guide you.
I’m not sure I remember who that is. Any idea if they’d still have my info?
Vail said:
FYI, you might also want to contact S1 from your last unit. They can sometimes help guide you.
Depends, but they might have passed it to your state’s Guard HQ. Worth a call just in case!
I had a buddy go through this. He said it helped to get a lawyer who specializes in military stuff—just in case anything’s tricky.
Levi said:
I had a buddy go through this. He said it helped to get a lawyer who specializes in military stuff—just in case anything’s tricky.
That’s a good idea. Do you know how much they usually charge?
Levi said:
I had a buddy go through this. He said it helped to get a lawyer who specializes in military stuff—just in case anything’s tricky.
Not sure, but many lawyers give free consultations for military-related issues. Couldn’t hurt to ask around.
Also, don’t forget to update your contact info with DFAS if you haven’t already. They need your current address for mail and stuff.
Blair said:
Also, don’t forget to update your contact info with DFAS if you haven’t already. They need your current address for mail and stuff.
Oh wow, I didn’t even think of that. Thanks for the heads-up!