Air Force announces colonel selective early retirement board eligibility Published Sept. 14, 2011 Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- As previously announced on May 27, the Air Force will convene a selective early retirement board for colonels to further size and balance the force within the congressionally authorized 332,800 end-strength level. The CY12A Colonel SERB is scheduled to convene Jan. 9, 2012, to consider eligible officers for early retirement. Colonels selected for early retirement by the SERB must retire by June 1, 2012. Deployed colonels selected for early retirement will return to their home stations by Apr. 1, 2012 to allow time to make final arrangements. The colonel SERB affects active-duty colonels in the line of the Air Force, chaplain corps and medical service corps competitive categories who have served at least four years of active duty in that grade as of Jan. 9, 2012, and whose names are not on a list of officers recommended for promotion. Officers meeting the initial criteria who will be excluded from the SERB are: officers who are recommended for promotion (on a promotion list); have been approved for voluntary retirement; are not to be involuntarily retired under any provision of law during fiscal 2012 or 2013; or were previously considered in the 2007 or 2010 SERBs. SERB-eligible colonels may request voluntary retirement through Dec. 16, 2011, with an effective date no later than Sept. 1, 2012. Officers approved for retirement will not meet the SERB. Selective Early Retirement Board-eligible colonels may continue to apply for voluntary retirement after Dec. 16, 2011; however they will still meet the SERB. Approval of applications requiring Active Duty Service Commitment waivers is not guaranteed. Approval or disapproval determinations will be based on the best interests of the Air Force. In addition, if a member is allowed to voluntarily retire with a waiver, recoupment of the unearned portions of bonuses, special pays, and educational costs may be required. There are also specific requirements for eligibility and reimbursement related to the Montgomery GI Bill, Post-9/11 GI Bill and Transfer of Benefits. Since the retirement application and review timeline normally takes 4 to 6 weeks, officers requesting voluntary retirement should allow sufficient time. The Air Force has transition assistance programs available to all Airmen who are separating or retiring. For more information on transition assistance programs, Airmen may contact their Airman and Family Readiness Centers. For detailed information on the colonel SERB, go to the Air Force Personnel Services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil and do a keyword search for SERB or go to the FY11/12 Force Management Programs section. First time users will need to create an account with a username and password.