Generally speaking:
Regular active duty members of the military service qualify for a monthly pension after 20 years of service regardless of age. There is no vesting schedule for a military pension. Generally speaking (there are some exceptions to this rule), a person will not receive a military pension unless they have all 20 years in. A person with all 20 years in can start collecting a pension regardless of his or her age.
Military reserve members earn pensions but do not go into pay status until reaching the age of 60. The value of the reserve pension is based on the Point System. A reservist receives one point credit for each day of service. He or she also has to have at least 20 years of service, but a year could consist of as little as 3 weeks in the summer and one weekend per month each year.
Both plans are divided using a Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act Order (USFSPA order).
The couple must have been married for at least 10 years during the time the member was with the military in order for a USFSPA order to be honored by the military, for both reserve members and regular active duty members.
Under both plans, if the non-participant spouse remarries before age 55, he or she will lose any survivor benefits that may have been awarded in the divorce agreement.
For regular active duty, the non-participant spouse is entitled to free health care for his or her lifetime if the parties were married for at least 20 years during the time the member was serving in the military. There is no free health care available for the former spouses of reservists.
