A few months ago I published an article entitled Should Military Members Receive Special Benefits?. The article was written in response to a comment on another website by someone who didn’t believe military members should receive additional benefits.

I dedicated an entire article to the response because military compensation is a complicated and sometimes touchy topic. In the article, I was clear to articulate that base military pay is low and there are numerous benefits in place to enhance total compensation packages and bring many military members up to a decent standard of living.

One of the primary reasons the government chooses to compensate military members via benefits in lieu of higher base pay is because base pay is used to determine retirement benefits; other benefits and forms of compensation are not factored into retirement pay. This form of compensation saves the military billions of dollars each year in the form of reduced pension payments to retirees.

You guys have it TOO GOOD! So quit your whining!

Somehow my explanation of the article was taken out of context and perceived as whining. What follows is a short quote from a comment left by tim tom, MPH, DrPH (full comment):

I disagree that military personnel deserves extra benefits. You are completely biased in your explanation of how “low” their pay rate is.

These two sentences lead off a 563 word comment about the amount and types of military compensation.

It appears, however, that my article was taken out of context. I went to great lengths to qualify the difference between base pay and benefits and further explain that many military members enlist or apply for a commission as an officer because of the military benefits. At no point did I mention compensation was too low nor did I once lobby for sentiment that military pay should be increased. My goal with the article was to familiarize people who had never been exposed to the military compensation system.

Please read the reader comment in full. Again, I encourage everyone to read the article explaining military compensation and benefits, then read the full comment prior to reading the remainder of this open response to the commenter. I encourage this so that my response (this article) is not taken out of context.

An open response to the comment

Dear tim tom, MPH, DrPH,

There was not a single instance in the article that could be remotely construed as whining, nor was the article biased toward the opinion that military members do not get paid enough. In fact, my assessment, which is based on personal experience and clearly stated in the second to last sentence, is and remains, “On the whole, I think the program does a good job of giving military members the opportunity to live a comfortable, but not extravagant life.”

In fact, let’s read the entire last paragraph again:

Military compensation is a complicated topic, and one that requires study to truly understand how much, and in some cases, how little, some military members earn. And even with study, you can still ask the question, “Do Military Members Get Paid Enough” The answer is not an easy one to answer, as it is easy to create a scenario to make it appear as though someone is vastly under or over paid. On the whole, I think the program does a good job of giving military members the opportunity to live a comfortable, but not extravagant life. And I don’t think that is too much to ask.

The final paragraph from the article is clear on my stance – I believe military members earn a fair living, but they are far from overpaid.

Regarding military benefits

tim tom, MPH, DrPH, please research these benefits to fully understand how they are calculated and who is eligible to receive them. Not all of these benefits apply to each military member and there are many civilian equivalents to some (not all) of these benefits.

What follows is a list of tim tom, MPH, DrPH’s sttements regarding military benefits as taken directly from the comment he left. His statement is copied/pasted in bold lettering; my response follows. I tried to remain as brief as possible, but some of these benefits have many variables which can be too numerous to list in this article.

Briefly I will respond to most line items:

1. GI bill $37,000 (avg. debt of college grad civilians is $20,000!). Military members must purchase the right to GI Bill benefits at a cost of $1,200. The GI Bill is not always enough to cover tuition, fees, etc. and many veterans graduate with student loan debt. Veterans have a 10 year window to use their benefits or they are gone forever. In the civilian sector many companies offer tuition assistance programs or student loan repayment plans. Here is more GI Bill information.
2. Basic housing allowance (in San Diego, military personnel with depenants get $1893-$2847/month!!). $729 – $1350 in Alpena Co., MI. I guarantee you a job in San Diego pays more than a comparable job in Alpena Co., MI too. But base military pay is determined solely on rank and time in service – not your job, where you live, actual skill level or many other factors that affect pay in the civilian world.
3. Basic allowance for subsistence (food allowance)$223-$323/month. At one point all military members were required to live on post and part of their benefits package was room and board. As people began moving off base they were offered a food allowance equivalent to the cost of the military providing the food for the member. Many military members who live on base do not receive this allowance and instead receive a chow hall pass. If you are a civilian then work for Google. They get free food too.
4. Homeowner benefits. Not very specific here. Are you referring to BAH, VA Loans Benefits, or something else?
5. Dislocation allowance if relocating. Many civilian companies provide a relocation allowance when the transfer is made at the requirement of the company.
6. Cost of living allowance $100-hundreds/mo. (dep.on locat.). See #2.
7. Combat compensation (if in active combat). And justly earned.
8. Hazardous duty pay ($150/mo) for hazardous duties ofc. See #7.
9. Per diem & Travel pay. Federal requirement, also required by most civilian companies.
10. Clothing allowance ($1,400 initial allowance f/ enlisted, and $350/yr. average thereafter)…I wish I got paid for buying my expensive work clothes and items! As you mentioned, enlisted benefit only; officers are required to purchase uniforms out of pocket. Some civilian companies offer similar benefits, but this is rare. However, most civilian jobs do not require specific uniforms, or if required, do not cost hundreds of dollars per outfitting. Those that require expensive work clothes are the exception rather than the rule.
11. Extremely generous retirement benefits! (comment truncated by editor – see full comment below). See below under “Regarding military retirement benefits.
12. Death Gratuity = $100,000 paid to the military’s survivors (spouse, etc.). Buy life insurance. It’s not that expensive.
13. Dependency compensation (payable to survivors of deceased veterans) $1,154/mo -add $286/mo for EACH child under 18 years…pretty darn good death benefits! See Social Security survivors benefits. Are they comparable? That depends on the earnings history or the deceased, number of dependents, and other factors. But I’m not willing to complain about the benefits a child receives after his or her mother or father died in service of our country.
14. Combat special compensation (for those who qualify). See #7.
15. Special pay (sea pay, flight pay, aviation career incentive pay, enlisted flyer incentive pay, submarine pay, wounded warrior pay, diving duty pay, ETC.) for those who perform certain jobs. Yep. Some people get paid more for dangerous jobs. It happens in the civilian world too. By the way, some EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal, or Bomb Squad in civilian terms) get special pay and bonuses too, even though they didn’t make your list. Oh, so do the guys on the police department bomb squad. I think that’s fair though.
16. concurrent retirement & Disability pay (f/ those discharged with disabilities related to military work). See below under “Regarding military retirement benefits.

Regarding military retirement benefits

From #11. Extremely generous retirement benefits! (the rest of the line item is highlighted in the box below).

Extremely generous retirement benefits! There is NO “vesting” percentages like civilians are required to follow. -Lucky military personnel! It is complicated how retirement is calculated, but a general estimation is appx. 55% of basepay after 20-30 years. (some military retire at 37!)…must be nice! A lot better than waiting till 65 and getting social security’s whopping $700/mo. I am projected to make at 67! (If I even live that long!)

Please read more about military retirement benefits to better understand how they are calculated and who is eligible to receive military retirement benefits. While the military retirement system is generous and one of the best retirement programs around (I believe a military retirement is worth millions of dollars), not everyone who serves in the military receives these benefits – they must serve the full 20 years or qualify under other circumstances such as a disability retirement to be eligible for military retirement benefits.

Here is more information about whether or not military retirement is pay enough to retire on. In most cases, “military retirement” is simply a pension that starts at an early age. Very beneficial, but not enough for a 37 year old to live on the rest of his/her life. (FYI, one has to receive a waiver to join the military at age 17, which is extremely rare, making receiving retirement benefits at age 37 even more rare).

Some private corporations offer pension plans as well, with varying degrees of benefits. While these are becoming more difficult to find, they can still be found.

Employer sponsored retirement plans. Many employers in civilian sector offer company sponsored retirement benefits such as a 401k plan or similar offering. Some of these plans come with generous company matches or base contributions regardless of employee contribution. The military has access to the Thrift Savings Plan, which is similar to a private sector 401k plan, but there is no matching contribution. (score one for the civilians!)

Traditional and Roth IRAs and individual investments. Both military members and civilians have access to Roth and Traditional IRAs. I believe Roth IRAs are good for military members and they should open a Roth IRA if they have the funds to do so. Everyone should take their retirement future into their own hands, regardless of who their employer is.

Social Security benefits. Military members are eligible for Social Security Benefits, as is everyone who pays into the Social Security system (note: some military members who served decades ago did not pay social security taxes, depending on when they served. Here is more information about how military service affects Social Security Benefits).

Social Security Benefits are usually based on how much you pay into the system. I don’t know which formula you used to come up with $700 per month at age 67, but if you used the annual Social Security Statement that is sent out by the SSA every year, then your benefits probably reflect earnings to this point. Your benefits should increase as your earnings history increases. You should receive your annual Social Security Statement approximately 3 months before your birth date, but you can request one at any time if you need another copy.

Also, please research concurrent retirement & disability pay. This is a sore topic for most people receiving concurrent receipt because the plan is not fully in place and most military members with service related disabilities actually receive what amounts to a tax benefit for being disabled, but do not receive additional disability payments. (It’s actually more complicated than that; they receive their disability payment, which is tax free, and have an identical amount deducted from their retirement pay. You can see how that would be frustrating).

Military Members Are Undereducated and Overpaid

I skipped over a small section of the comment about subsidized medical and dental care, another comment about free airfare for wounded/sick military personnel and sometimes their families, and veterans preference for civil service jobs. The final statement about education and experience warrants more attention.

I will leave you with his final statement from his comment:

So don’t try to pull the wool over people’s eyes whining that military personell get horrible pay and benefits, because that just isn’t so! Especially for active duty who have NO COLLLEGE DEGREE, and LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE, they get GREAT PAY and BENEFITS! you have to combine pay with benefits, which many Americans say benefits are as important, and often more important than pay levels.

Actually, you guys have it TOO GOOD! So quit your whining!

tim tom, MPH, DrPH, no one stated on my website that military personnel “get horrible pay and benefits.”  And one does not need a college degree to have highly specialized or technical skills.

Many people and organizations value specialized training, technical skills, leadership, honor, service, and a host of other traits and characteristics more than they value a college degree.

But if you need to see evidence of military education then please read the following statistics from the USAF demographics (current as of January 7, 2010):

• Over 53% of officers have advanced, professional, or doctorate degrees. (Officers are required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree).
• 86.8% of field grade offers have advanced, professional, or doctorate degrees. (Field grade officers are in grades O-4 through O-6, which is considered a mid grade officer. It generally takes 10 years to achieve the rank of O-4). To put this in perspective, the 53% of total officers with an advanced degree includes all officers including those fresh out of college who have not yet had time to complete an advanced degree. Within the first 4 or 5 years of service most officers have begun work on an advanced degree program, and most complete it within the first 10 years of service.
• 85% of the officers have completed one or more professional military education or developmental education courses.
• 70% of enlisted members have college credits toward a degree, with almost 20% having an associate’s degree or equivalent hours, and over 5% with a bachelor’s degree (that 5% represents over 14,000 individuals).
• These statistics do not include numbers for those who have a double major or more than one advanced degree.

A first hand example. When I separated from the military in 2006 I had a college degree and my base pay was roughly $25,000/year. I received roughly $1,000 BAH/BAS per month which was tax free, putting my “paycheck” value at roughly $40,000 if the BAH/BAS would have been taxed. I also had access to full medical coverage and other military benefits, which is difficult to put a dollar value on. I don’t think $40,000 plus medical benefits is unreasonable compensation for a college graduate with several years experience.

Thank you for expressing freedom of speech and allowing me to do the same

tim tom, MPH, DrPH,thank you for taking the time to express your opinions and exercise your freedom of speech. And rest assured our nation’s military members are working hard to maintain that right – many of them while working 80-100 hour weeks in hostile locations. Some of those troops are also taking correspondence courses while deployed. I should know – I was one of those people who took advantage of military tuition assistance programs to take courses while I was deployed to the Middle East so I could finish my degree while I was enlisted. It was a great benefit – almost as good as the tuition assistance program I have at my current civilian job.

I am happy you stopped by my website, tim tom, MPH, DrPH, so I could share some of this information with you. I hope it has given you a better understanding of how the military compensation system works.

And if, after reading this, you still believe military members have it too good, then I invite you to head over to the nearest military recruiting office where you can find more information about receiving a commission in the US Armed Forces. The US Military is always in need of more doctors.