An inpatient record of an Air Force Staff Sergeant admitted on 28 Dec 98 and dispositioned on 4 Jan 99 (no other inpatient episodes) at a facility with an inpatient records library is

• A. Never retired as long as the patient remains on active duty
• B. Eligible for retirement 31 Dec 2003
• C. Eligible for retirement 31 Dec 2004
• D. Eligible for retirement 31 Dec 2001

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that retirement eligibility is based on years of active service, not on how long a hospital stay lasts. In the Air Force, you become eligible for retirement after completing 20 years of active duty, and a short inpatient episode doesn’t pause or reset that clock.

From the information given, the key factor is the 20-year service rule, which would be reached by the end of December 2004 for a typical career path leading to Staff Sergeant in that era. The inpatient stay from late December 1998 to early January 1999 doesn’t change the total years of active service accumulated, so retirement eligibility falls on 31 December 2004. The other dates would imply fewer than 20 years of service, which isn’t consistent with the standard rule. The fact that the record is stored in an inpatient records library is administrative and does not affect when retirement eligibility occurs.