A reserve retirement formula that Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-GA, sought to change has been a casualty as Congressional negotiators wrapped up the fiscal year 2010 Defense Authorization Bill.

Chambliss had sought to make retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001, a provision that allows reservists to draw military retired pay 90 days early for every 90 days of mobilization. Current rules apply that formula to reservists who have mobilized after Jan. 28, 2008, but some 600,000 Guardsmen and reservists who deployed before that date are not covered. Reservists generally begin receiving retirement benefits at age 60.

The Senate version of the 2010 bill contained the measure, but the House did not agree and House-Senate conferees did not include it in the final legislation. According to an Air Force Times report, the lawmakers said they "could not find a way to pay for the benefits under congressional budget rules."

Negotiators told Air Force Times they would support the measure "provided acceptable offsets are identified consistent with budgetary requirements." Under congressional budget rules, the Times added, "they must either reduce spending on other federal entitlements or make a decision at the start of the budget cycle to set aside more entitlement money for the Defense Department."

Chambliss, in a statement issued to The Patriot on Tuesday, said he was disappointed that the measure was not included in the 2010 legislation.

"The way we use our National Guard and reserve has fundamentally changed since 9/11," he noted. "They deserve to be adequately compensated for their sacrifice. I will continue to push for legislation to reward them for their service."

This is at least the third failure to include mobilization credit for pre-Jan. 28, 2008 deployments. Previous failures have generally focused on the entitlement spending limits issue. Lawmakers estimate that $550 million would be needed to include pre-Jan. 28, 2008, retirement credits for the 600,000 reservists.