Transition Services Office

Retirement seminar on February 10, 2024.

April 2024

Greetings

Welcome to another (I hope) informative newsletter. If you have any questions or need any records, please contact me via e-mail and include your phone number and home address. I will be more than happy to send you whatever we have or can find in your records.

If you are ready to collect your pension, please call me to schedule an appointment and I will help you with the process. I will check your IPERMS to make sure we have your 20 Year letter, discharge orders, NGB 22, NGB 23 and promotion orders. If I can find them, you need to bring your bank address, routing number and your account number. If I can’t find them, hopefully you saved a copy or I can call State Archives to see if they have them.

You will also need to bring a divorce decree, death certificate or birth certificate if applicable. You can lie to me and say you were not married previously but….. they know and it will hold up your packet until I send proof to them.

The process takes 3-6 months so plan accordingly. If you file after the age of 60, they will automatically charge you for Survivor Benefits.

Once HRC gets your packet, they will send you a letter congratulating you on your retirement. Then your packet goes to DFAS to process your packets for pay. Retirees are always welcome to come to my Retirement Training and all Military Appreciation Day offers.

If you have any questions or concerns or need assistance with paperwork, please feel free to email me at marie.s.durling.civ@army.mil or call 609-500-4327.

Marie Durling

Retirement Services Officer

retirement.njarmyguard.com

Events

Dates for 2024

Retirement/Transition Seminars

Bordentown Armory
Half-day presentation from 0900 to 1300 hours on retirement programs, benefits, and entitlements.

Thursday, 15 May 2024
Saturday, 7 September 2024
Thursday, 5 December 2024

Please use our Registration Form to register for these seminars.

Military Appreciation Day

Bordentown Armory
Military Appreciation Day is Saturday, 8 June 2024 from 0900 to 1400 hours. This is an informational day to walk through and visit with vendors in attendance. There will not be any briefings. Servicemembers, Retirees and family members of all military branches are welcome.

We have about 40 vendors who will be setting up tables with giveaways, information and doing health assessments i.e. blood pressure, oxygen levels etc. Stop by and see old friends, make new friends or just come for the information.

Please use our Registration Form to register for this event.

Military Appreciation Day at Seaside

Military Appreciation Day at Seaside will be on Saturday, 22 June 2024. This is for MILITARY ID CARD holders only! If you bring friends or other family members, they can purchase tickets at the ticket office.

Bracelets can be picked up at the Casino Pier Water Park between 1000-1400 Hours only. Bracelets are good for free admission to the Water Park and for rides at Casino Pier only!

Personal Note

The Breakfast Club

Billy Terrell

It was an honor and a privilege for me to be invited to a meeting with the Breakfast Club. One speaker was Billy Terrell who told stories of his life as a writer and producer of songs he wrote for Helen Reddy, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and many others and he traveled with The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Cream.

He joined the Army in 1966 and went to Vietnam where he spoke about his experiences at an Orphanage which he helped rebuild. He actually returned after he was discharged to see the orphans and nuns.

This experience is still so near and dear to his heart. I could have listened to him for hours! He wrote a book which is called The Other Side of Rock and War.

Ron Hathaway

The other speaker was MAJ (Ret) Ron Hathaway from the US Marine Corp. Ron's career was 33 years in the US Marines Corps and started in the enlisted ranks.

His initial role was as an infantryman in Vietnam where he advanced to Master Sergeant. He then qualified as a Marine Combat photographer. He was recognized for distinguished combat photography during intense battles with the Vietcong. He was shot down twice in helicopters operating near the Demilitarized Zone.

He became the first African American to advance to Director of Marine Corps Camera for the entire Marine Corps. The pictures he presented were moving!

Information For You

MILLIONS of Veterans NOW ELIGIBLE for VA Health Care

In this episode, theSITREP covers a new change, for VA benefits, that will affect millions of Veterans!

theSITREP Podcast

National Parks Pass

There is a lifetime pass for National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands, called America the Beautiful.

This lifetime pass for Gold Star Families & Veterans is being offered to demonstrate the country's immense gratitude and respect for those who have served and defended our country.

Learn More at VA News

VALife Insurance

Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) provides guaranteed acceptance whole life coverage of up to $40,000 to Veterans with service-connected disabilities. Lesser amounts are available in increments of $10,000. Under this plan, the elected coverage takes effect two years after enrollment as long as premiums are paid during the two-year period.

All Veterans age 80 or under with a VA disability rating of 0 to 100% are eligible for the VALife program and have no time limit to apply.

Learn More

Veteran ID Cards

Which Veteran ID Card Do You Need?

Did you know there are four different forms of acceptable Veteran ID cards? The VA has a webpage that explains each ID card type, their necessity, uses, and eligibility requirements as well as how to acquire the card of your choice when you are ready.

Learn More

$250 Property Tax Reduction

Active Duty Service with Honorable Discharge

Effective December 4, 2020, New Jersey State law (P.L. 2019, c. 413) eliminated the wartime service requirement for the $250 Veterans Property Tax Deduction. Veterans must have active duty service with an honorable discharge. Reservists and National Guard personnel must be called to active duty service to qualify. Active duty for training continues to be ineligible.

You also may qualify if you are a surviving spouse / civil union / domestic partner of an honorably discharged veteran with active duty military service.

Learn More

Accessing Your Army iPERMS

Active, Guard, Reserve, IRR, IMA Soldiers and Veterans

Do you need to view your iPERMS documents but do not have access to a CAC enabled computer? No problem! You can use your DS Logon to access your documents from the HRC Portal. The HRC Portal link is iperms.hrc.army.mil/login.

Download the guide to assist users with the DS Logon registration, upgrade, and log in process as well as how to navigate to your documents in the HRC Portal at hrc.army.mil/asset/18300.

Social Security

Social Security Account

A Social Security account provides personalized tools for everyone, whether receiving benefits or not. Those not currently receiving benefits can:

Estimate future benefits and compare different dates or ages to begin receiving benefits.
Get instant status of the Social Security application.
Review work history.
Request a replacement Social Security card (in most states).

Learn more on the SSA website at ssa.gov.

Death of a Retired Soldier

How to Report

Follow the procedures as outlined on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) website.

If you or your spouse needs assistance filling out the paperwork, contact me at 609-500-4327 or marie.s.durling.civ@army.mil.

Update Address with DFAS

How to Report

There are several ways to update your address if you are receiving Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) payments for yourself or for a child.

The easiest and most convenient way to update your address is by logging into myPay and updating it there: mypay.dfas.mil.

If you don’t have a myPay account, you can upload a letter as a PDF using the askDFAS online upload tool: dfas.mil/raquicktools.

Be sure to include your full name, your Social Security Number and the member’s Social Security Number, and sign and date any written correspondence.

You can also call the Customer Care Center at 800-321-1080.

Notes from the Field

Stories? Do I have Stories!

Know the Answers

If you have to call HRC or DFAS for anything, they will ask you questions. If you miss any of the questions, they will not tell you anything.

One question is "what is your retirement date". For gray area retirees the answer is....your 60th Birthday NOT the day you left the Guard (Not many Soldier's can remember that date when I ask but we should all know our 60th Birthday even if it hasn't hit yet). For AGR the retirement date is the first day of the month following their retirement.

They will also not even tell you what questions you got wrong. If you are retired, all the answers are on your DD 2656.