How to Confirm Credit for USU and HPSP Time Before Retirement from Active Duty
Does time at Uniformed Services University (USU) or annual training (AT) while on HPSP count toward retirement? Yes, but it is only added on once you hit 20+ years. You can’t use that time to get to 20.
How do you confirm you are getting credit for this time? Read below.
You need to check your retirement statement of service (SoS), which is usually available 90-120 days before retirement (mine was available at 124 days), and ensure time at USU or AT in HPSP is incorporated into the retirement computation. Officers should make sure their SoS is correct BEFORE they retire. This gives people only a short window to check their SoS and request any needed changes.
How to Get Your SoS
The SoS can be downloaded via NSIPS. Some instructions are listed on this site where it states:
What is a Statement of Service (SoS)? How do I view my retirement SoS?
Refer to Statement of Service. A retirement SoS is viewable via NSIPS. Log into Member Self-Service, select Employee Self-Service -> Retirements and Separations – > Check Eligibility -> Statement of Service -> Generate SoS Form (be patient at this point and select “Refresh” a few times over 30 seconds or so). A new link should appear with the word “view” in it. Select that link. A draft retirement SoS is normally available to review 90-120 days prior to retirement date.
Here is the section of my SoS where you can see the credit added with my HPSP AT time highlighted:
I will note that at the top of the SoS it says, “AFHPSP, Not Creditable For Any Purpose.” That can be a little scary, but the meaning of “not creditable for any purpose” is explained in this 2021 letter to me from the Senior Detailer at the time. He is discussing USU credit and not HPSP, but in the end they are treated the same:
They say it is “not creditable for any purpose” because it is not utilized to calculate active duty pay or eligibility toward retirement.
My Transaction Service Center also told me to refer back to my SoS, where I would find the retirement credit from HPSP, instead of my draft DD-214. This time does not appear on your DD-214.
The Bottom Line
When you are trying to confirm retirement credit for USU or HPSP, you need to check your SoS 90-120 days out from retirement by downloading it from NSIPS.
If anyone is interested, here is the original memo that explains how they credit USU time toward retirement:
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