MOAA recently joined a broad coalition of military, veteran, and family organizations in sending a simple message to lawmakers: “No retired member of the uniformed services should have to wonder whether a government funding lapse will delay the retirement pay they earned through decades of service.”

Retirees from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Officer Corps are vulnerable to such delays, while armed services retirees have payment protections in place. A June 11 letter from MOAA and nearly two dozen organizations included the above passage and asked leaders of the House Armed Services, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources committees to fix this long-standing inequity by adding the bipartisan Pensions for Retired Uniformed Servicemembers Act (H.R. 8732) to the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

[TAKE ACTION: Urge Lawmakers to Support the Pensions for Retired Uniformed Servicemembers Act]

Other signatories to the June 11 letter included the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and Vietnam Veterans of America. The NOAA Corps Association of Commissioned Officers and the Air Force Sergeants Association recently added their support to the coalition, which seeks parity across services on this critical issue.

Following Precedent

This vulnerability became a reality during the 2025 federal shutdown, when retired members of the USPHS and NOAA Corps missed retirement payments because funding for their pensions depends on annual appropriations to their home departments (Health and Human Services and Commerce, respectively). Meanwhile, retirees from the armed forces and Coast Guard continued receiving their retirement pay on time through the permanently appropriated Military Retirement Fund (MRF).

The solution proposed in H.R. 8732 is straightforward. The legislation would move USPHS and NOAA retirement obligations into the MRF, ensuring retired members of all uniformed services receive their earned pensions without interruption during future funding lapses. This simply changes the funding mechanism used to pay what retirees have earned through decades of service.

The coalition emphasized that the proposal is based on precedent: Congress transferred Coast Guard retirement obligations into the MRF via the FY 2021 NDAA. H.R. 8732 would extend the same protection to the remaining uniformed service retirees facing this inequity.

The legislation would not increase federal spending: The home departments of USPHS and NOAA uniformed retirees would continue to meet their retirement obligations through annual actuarial contributions to the MRF.

[RELATED: Retirement Resources From MOAA]

For MOAA, this is fundamentally a matter of parity. Men and women who served the nation in uniform should be treated equally when it comes to receiving the retirement benefits they earned.  

The FY 2027 NDAA provides Congress with an opportunity to correct this disparity once and for all. MOAA will continue working alongside coalition partners and congressional champions to secure inclusion of the Pensions for Retired Uniformed Servicemembers Act in this year’s defense authorization bill and ensure all retired members of the uniformed services receive the same protection they have earned through their service.

MOAA members (and others) can strengthen these efforts by contacting their lawmakers through MOAA’s Legislative Action Center and urging support for H.R. 8732.