Which service members are eligible for the High-3 with REDUX/CSB option retirement plan?

Which service members are eligible for the High-3 with REDUX/CSB option retirement plan?

• A. Entered service on or after 1 August 1986 and before 31 December 2017
• B. Entered service on or before 1 August 1986
• C. Entered service after 1 January 2018
• D. All RegAF personnel

Answer: (A)

Eligibility depends on when you entered service. The High-3 with REDUX/CSB option was available only to those who joined the military between August 1, 1986 and December 31, 2017. This window was set because the CSB/REDUX path was an option offered during that era, with the High-3 as the retirement base but a different lifetime benefit due to the COLA adjustments and the one-time CSB incentive. Those who joined before August 1986 didn’t have access to this REDUX/CSB path and were on earlier retirement rules, while those who joined after December 31, 2017 enter the Blended Retirement System (BRS) and aren’t eligible for this option. The High-3 concept itself refers to averaging the highest 36 months of base pay for retirement calculation; REDUX modifies future COLA and includes the CSB trade-off, making the window of eligibility the key factor here.

Eligibility depends on when you entered service. The High-3 with REDUX/CSB option was available only to those who joined the military between August 1, 1986 and December 31, 2017. This window was set because the CSB/REDUX path was an option offered during that era, with the High-3 as the retirement base but a different lifetime benefit due to the COLA adjustments and the one-time CSB incentive. Those who joined before August 1986 didn’t have access to this REDUX/CSB path and were on earlier retirement rules, while those who joined after December 31, 2017 enter the Blended Retirement System (BRS) and aren’t eligible for this option. The High-3 concept itself refers to averaging the highest 36 months of base pay for retirement calculation; REDUX modifies future COLA and includes the CSB trade-off, making the window of eligibility the key factor here.