Army Retirement Services (Soldier for Life)

Army Retirement Services is a U.S. Army office that helps soldiers and their families prepare for retirement. It is part of the Soldier for Life program and serves retirees and surviving spouses across the United States and overseas.

Its mission is to develop Army policy and oversee Army-wide programs that prepare soldiers and families to retire. It also speaks up for and advises retired soldiers and surviving spouses for the rest of their lives.

The office has several main functions. It oversees policy and programs for retirement planning and for post-retirement services, across the active Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. It supports the Department of Defense Survivor Benefit Plan and the MyServiceBenefits program. It also supports the Chief of Staff of the Army Retired Soldier Council.

Other duties include creating and sending the Army Echoes and Change of Mission newsletters. The office also holds retirement planning seminars and Retiree Appreciation Days, which bring retirees together with Army support teams.

Retirement Services Officers are posted across the United States and overseas.

Some tasks fall outside the office's scope but connect to it. The U.S. Army Human Resources Command processes regular retirements and related requests. The Army Transition Assistance Program offers information and training for people moving to a new stage of life, such as school, a new job or a new business. A Gray Area Retirements Branch processes retired pay for reserve and non-regular retirements.

The Soldier for Life site also covers employment, education and career training, health and wellness, and support for spouses, survivors and former spouses.

Services

• Retirement planning policy and oversight
• Post-retirement services oversight
• Survivor Benefit Plan support
• Retirement planning seminars
• Retiree Appreciation Days
• Army Echoes and Change of Mission newsletters
• Retirement Services Officers
• Family and survivor support