Your questions does not quite add up. I'm guessing that you are currently serving and about to retire. The only time your pension is 'deducted' is if you receive more than one federal pension. Military retirement is offset by the any VA disability amount. You still receive the same total amount. Your posts transition assistance should provide more info. Many civil service positions require an advanced degree or a combination of a degree and experience. Who get's selected depends on a combination of the package and the interview. There used to be tons of web sites on the net and military.com used to have a bunch of links, but I'm not finding as many out there now as four years ago. Here are a couple that look good: USA jobs - info tab page http://www.usajobs.gov/infocenter/ Transition Assistance Programs usually have handouts and classes on applying for civil service jobs. http://www.taonline.com/ this site has a few more links and some advice: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/a/civil_service.htm Article on what it takes for AF to fill a civil service position. http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,164311,00.html