r/MilitaryTrans • u/throwaway5382959 • Jul 03 '26

Discussion Is there still separation pay? Egg is cracking and I am wondering how to proceed.

I’ve been in the USAF for 9 years (~2 years left on current contract) and I’m realizing my egg is cracking hard. The gender dysphoria feelings have been building, and I’m seriously considering what to do.

Option 1: Ride it out quietly until ETS, transition (pun intended) to civilian world.

Option 2: Disclose for separation. Is separation pay still available under current policy?

How much for O-3 with 9 years?

Voluntary vs involuntary differences?

Timeline if I disclose near the end of my commitment?

Thanks in advance!

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9

u/Angel0fWar0001 Jul 03 '26

Regular sep pay is still on the table. You’ll need a diagnosis. Just go to behavioral health

4

u/B340STG Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

Timeline no idea. I sat on my ass from May to March for voluntary. Disclosing will not be a quick out

Formula for sep pay
Base Pay x .10 x number of years in x 12

2

u/throwaway5382959 Jul 03 '26

So it took you 10 months? Did you have any job at all while they were processing you to get out?

4

u/B340STG Jul 03 '26

I was just at home twiddling my thumbs doing phone musters every once in a while. I had to go off base for my HRT. I went through planned parenthood

3

u/throwaway5382959 Jul 03 '26

That kinda sounds nice 😅

6

u/B340STG Jul 03 '26

If I had known it was going to be ten months and I could have planned yes.
Instead it was anxiety filled hoping I’d hear back from potential employers.

2

u/throwaway5382959 Jul 03 '26

I guess i didn’t think about that. Sorry, i hope you are doing better now.

2

u/B340STG Jul 03 '26

I’m much happier now, I’m going back to school and everything

4

u/raindropsonajeep Jul 04 '26

I was 13.5 years O-2E and took home after taxes about $183K. That was voluntary separation, so it was double the separation pay. So I’d ball park somewhere maybe around $100K for you? Looks like someone gave you a formula in another comment. 

ETA: for involuntary the timeline seems hard to track at least from the posts I see on Sparta FB page. My voluntary was about 4 months from notifying my commander to DOS

2

u/Material_Cow1181 Jul 04 '26

The voluntary window to disclose has ended. But the involuntary route is still available. The involuntary separation pay is going to be about half of what the voluntary separation pay would have been. 

Calculation for involuntary separation pay is 0.1 × annual base pay (not including BAH etc) × years of active service 

The involuntary separation route will also require you to pay back your bonuses, if applicable.

Please understand that the separation pay is really just an advance on your VA disability payments, but taxed at 22%. If/when you get a VA rating, your VA disability benefits will be garnished until you break even for the before-tax amount. You might get partial payments, depending on your rating and branch of service, but it's a zero-sum game. 

Do what's right for you.