I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 558
To amend title 10, United States Code, to revise the age and service require-
ments for eligibility to receive retired pay for non-regular service; to 
expand certain authorities to provide health care benefits for Reserves 
and their families, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2005
Mr. LATHAM (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. BARTLETT of 
Maryland, Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi, Mr. CANNON, Mr. MCGOVERN, 
Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin, Mr. KIND, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. 
LYNCH, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. BAKER, Mrs. 
CAPITO, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. GOODE, Mr. SHAW, Mr. ROSS, Mr. GORDON, 
Mr. BLUNT, Mr. SIMPSON, Mrs. MCCARTHY, and Mr. FORD) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to revise the age 
and service requirements for eligibility to receive retired 
pay for non-regular service; to expand certain authorities 
to provide health care benefits for Reserves and their 
families, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Guard and Reserve 
Readiness and Retention Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR RETIRED PAY FOR NON-REGULAR 
SERVICE. 
(a) AGE AND SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—Subsection 
(a) of section 12731 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a)(1) Except as provided in subsection (c), a person 
is entitled, upon application, to retired pay computed 
under section 12739 of this title, if the person—
‘‘(A) satisfies one of the combinations of re-
quirements for minimum age and minimum number 
of years of service (computed under section 12732 of 
this title) that are specified in the table in para-
graph (2); 
‘‘(B) performed the last six years of qualifying 
service while a member of any category named in 
section 12732(a)(1) of this title, but not while a 
member of a regular component, the Fleet Reserve, 
or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, except that in 
the case of a person who completed 20 years of serv-
ice computed under section 12732 of this title before 
October 5, 1994, the number of years of qualifying 
service under this subparagraph shall be eight; and
‘‘(C) is not entitled, under any other provision 
of law, to retired pay from an armed force or re-
tainer pay as a member of the Fleet Reserve or the 
Fleet Marine Corps Reserve. 
‘‘(2) The combinations of minimum age and min-
imum years of service required of a person under subpara-
graph (A) of paragraph (1) for entitlement to retired pay 
as provided in such paragraph are as follows: 
The minimum years of 
service required for that 
Age, in years, is at least: 
age is: 
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20’’. 
(b) 20-YEAR LETTER.—Subsection (d) of such sec-
tion is amended by striking ‘‘the years of service required 
for eligibility for retired pay under this chapter’’ in the 
first sentence and inserting ‘‘20 years of service computed 
under section 12732 of this title.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this subsection (a) shall take effect on the 
first day of the first month beginning on or after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect 
to retired pay payable for that month and subsequent 
months.
SEC. 3. EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY OF SELECTED RESERVE 
MEMBERS UNDER TRICARE PROGRAM. 
(a) GENERAL ELIGIBILITY.—Subsection (a) of sec-
tion 1076d of title 10, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY.—A member’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY.—(1) Except as pro-
vided in paragraph (2), a member’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘after the member completes’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘one or more whole 
years following such date’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a member who 
is enrolled, or is eligible to enroll, in a health benefits plan 
under chapter 89 of title 5.’’. 
(b) CONDITION
FOR
TERMINATION
OF
ELIGI-
BILITY.—Subsection (b) of such section is amended by 
striking ‘‘(b) PERIOD
OF COVERAGE.—(1) TRICARE 
Standard’’ and all that follows through ‘‘(3) Eligibility’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(b) TERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY UPON 
TERMINATION OF SERVICE.—Eligibility’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) Such section is further amended—
(A) by striking subsection (e); and 
(B) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub-
section (e) and transferring such subsection
within such section so as to appear following 
subsection (d). 
(2) The heading for such section is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘§ 1076d. TRICARE program: TRICARE standard cov-
erage for members of the selected re-
serve’’. 
(d) REPEAL
OF OBSOLETE PROVISION.—Section 
1076b of title 10, United States Code, is repealed. 
(e) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 55 of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended—
(1) by striking the item relating to section 
1076b; and 
(2) by striking the item relating to section 
1076d and inserting the following:
‘‘1076d. TRICARE program: TRICARE Standard coverage for members of the 
Selected Reserve.’’.
(f) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Enrollments in TRICARE 
Standard that are in effect on the day before the date of 
the enactment of this Act under section 1076d of title 10, 
United States Code, as in effect on such day, shall be con-
tinued until terminated after such day under such section 
1076d as amended by this section.
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