Staff Sergeant Carlos Farler Citizen Soldier Equality Act of 2006

The Staff Sergeant Carlos Farler Citizen Soldier Equality Act of 2006 (H.R. 5083) was designed to change how retirement benefits are calculated for members of the National Guard and Reserves who are forced to retire due to combat-related injuries. Under this bill, a reserve member who is retired for a disability resulting from being wounded in action or for which they received a Purple Heart would be credited with the same number of years of service as a full-time, active-duty member. The practical impact would be to ensure that "citizen soldiers" receive disability retirement pay that is equal to their active-duty counterparts, rather than having their benefits reduced based on their part-time status at the time of their injury.