Big changes are coming to IPPS-A that will soon give all Army service members a more comprehensive and streamlined way to manage their retirement points. This new functionality is a significant step toward improving Army readiness and enhancing Talent Management across the force by providing increased visibility and a more efficient process for our Warfighters.
The initial phase of this rollout, slated for release on September 22 will focus on integrating the Army National Guard’s (ARNG) Retirement Points Accounting Management (RPAM) system directly into IPPS-A. To facilitate this transition, a brownout period for RPAM will begin on September 19, and all ARNG retirement points management will begin in IPPS-A on September 22.
In a future release, IPPS-A will expand for the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and those on the Permanent Disability Retirement List (PDRL). These changes ensure the Army meets new Department of Defense retiree reporting requirements, a crucial step for Total Force Visibility.
What This Means for You
For the ARNG, this new functionality will transition the NGB Form 23, "Retirement Point Summary," to the DA Form 5016, "Chronological Statement of Retirement Points," which will be generated directly within IPPS-A. Instead of receiving an annual statement, ARNG members will be able to view their retirement points after each drill, allowing them to track their progress and request corrections throughout the year using the IPPS-A system or mobile app. This change will alleviate the need for frequent visits to a unit administrator for corrections, saving time and improving accuracy.
Another major improvement is the use of the DA Form 1506, "Statement of Service," for service verification of Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD) and Basic Active Service Date (BASD). Retirement points will now transfer between components — streamlining the process and increasing efficiency across the Total Force.
To ensure a smooth transition, special attention is being devoted to addressing data discrepancies, particularly for PEBD and BASD, as data is migrated from RPAM to IPPS-A.
It's also important to note that Military Member Status Identifier (MMSI) codes will no longer appear on retirement points statements. Instead, this information will be replaced by Assignment details, Duty Status, and Service Types within IPPS-A, which will be used for reporting and applying retirement point credit. MMSI details will continue to be accessible through orders and assignments data in IPPS-A.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Without MMSI, how will IPPS-A calculate eligible periods for Retirement Pay Eligibility Date (RPED) reduction? IPPS-A will have orders authority within the assignments data received by Mobilization Common Operating Picture (MOBCOP) and will RPED data through retirement points configuration. Turning on and off assignment types that qualify for RPED.
Q2: Without MMSI, how will units generate DA Form 1506, “Statement of Service,” to accurately transition points between components? The good thing about RPAM subsumption is that there is no longer a need to transfer points between Army components as they all reside in the same system now. Because of that, IPPS-A will automate the DA Form 1506 to support pay actions, but the points and service data will not change in IPPS-A.
Q3: Without MMSI, how will units and states confirm the right benefits are being received? Soldier benefits are not driven by MMSI, but by specific statute codes that are transmitted to Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and Veterans Affairs (VA) based on the assignments data. This continues to occur even though MMSI is no longer captured on the retirement points summary. The movement away from MMSI will also provide a more granular look at the individual assignment to apply the correct benefits.
Resources and Support
To help our Warfighters prepare for these changes, a variety of resources and training are available for all retirement point administrators. These include the R3 Retirements Point Admin course, User Productivity Kits (UPKs), and the IPPS-A User Manual; all of which can be found via
the IPPS-A Demo Server. For guidance on navigating the IPPS-A Demo Server, please refer to this
Functional Training slide. Feel free to also refer to this recent
Personnel Policy Operational Message (PPOM), generated to establish ARNG-specific policy and guidance in support of the new Retirements Points module.
The following materials are also available to users and can be found on the
IPPS-A Website.
These enhancements are a significant step toward modernizing how the Army manages retirement points, making the process more transparent and efficient for all service members. To learn more about enhancements Team IPPS-A is making in the system, join the
Drive the Change Teams Channel 1.