Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
Director, Primary Care and Branch Clinics/Navy Medical Readiness Training Unit Director – Naval Medical Center Portsmouth – O5/O6
All the info is in this document, with applications due by 23 JAN:
The Navy is Not Going to Let You Retire Early
There have been recent discussions about cuts in military medicine and POM20, and some people found this recently signed policy about early retirements. They put 2 and 2 together and figured that they might be able to retire early.
The message from BUMED is that this was merely the required periodic update of the existing early retirement policy. It was unfortunate timing and there are no plans to use it that they know of.
If that changes, you’ll hear it here as soon as I can get it out there.
CAC-less: The Future of Navy Mobile Applications
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Navy released a new mobile application that allows Sailors to access a portion of their Electronic Training Jacket (ETJ) without using a Common Access Card (CAC).
NAVADMIN 008/19 announced the launch of MyNavy Portal MyRecord Mobile (Beta) App on Jan. 8, marking a new era for both the Navy and Sailors.
“The Navy is committed to transforming how it delivers human resources services – personnel, pay and training – services to our Sailors,” said Vice Adm. Robert Burke, chief of naval personnel. The launch of the MyNavy Portal MyRecord Mobile (Beta) App is our first step to providing these services without using a Common Access Card. We are committed to expanding CAC-less services with the same level of security and convenience Sailors expect from their personal banking services. In time, Sailors will be able to conduct all personnel transactions using their mobile device.”
The initial release has limited functionality by design and will display only a portion of a Sailor’s ETJ in a read-only mode. This initial release has limited functionality specifically linked to a portion of personnel and training information from the ETJ of the Sailor, in a read-only mode, as the primary function of the release is to evaluate the CAC-less access.
By rolling out the MyRecord App in a Beta format, Sailors will be able to provide feedback for the Navy to improve the application and overall Sailor experience. Reviewing a record on the MyRecord Mobile (Beta) App does not replace a Sailor’s responsibility to conduct a full record review for boards. Sailors should still conduct a full record review as they do today to ensure accuracy of their entire record.
Sailors should also keep in mind that as a Beta release, early testing indicated an occasional error resulting in the misalignment of data fields. Before submitting records for correction, first verify their status on the MyNavy Portal (MNP) desktop version of MyRecord.
“We find Sailor feedback and suggestions are critical for a successful application,” said David Driegert, program manager for the Navy’s Sea Warrior Program (PMW 240). “Our Sailors are tech savvy and when we include them in the process, the end result is always a better application. We want their candid feedback, what they like and dislike about the app and what future capabilities they desire.”
Going CAC-less is a multi-step process and requires Sailors to enable CAC-free setup in MNP. They must also download the MyRecord App and a Navy-approved third-party application, Okta Verify. Okta Verify allows Sailors to create a secure Multi-Factor Authentication account to log-into the MyRecord (Beta) App. Sailors may receive an email regarding the activation of their account, however no action is required.
The entire process should take less than five minutes and can be used on mobile devices with iOS version 10, 11, and 12 or Android version 6, 7, 8 and 9. Step-by-step instructions to go CAC-less are available in NAVADMIN 008/19.
Both mobile apps are available for free in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and the Navy App Locker.
Burke added, “Starting with the MyRecord Mobile (Beta) App launch in January, new capabilities and functionality will be released over time. Sailors can expect continuous updates to the app that will offer more tools right at their fingertips and allow them and their spouse to accomplish things that used to require a trip to a Personnel Support Detachment. Coupled with the Customer Service and responsiveness of MNCC, you can expect continuous improvement in how personnel service are delivered in the coming months.”
Sailors can send their comments to the MyNavy Career Center (MNCC) Contact Center either by selecting the email link on the Beta release in the MyRecord App (askmncc@navy.mil) or by calling 1-833-330-MNCC (6622). Sailors should also contact MNCC if they are experiencing any difficulty with the app.
“This app allows Sailors greater flexibility on when and where they can access their personnel information, allowing them to maintain continued focus on their job and operational environment,” said Driegert.
For more information about MyNavy Portal MTP&E’s Transformation and Sailor 2025 initiatives, visit the CNP website at https://www.navy.mil/cnp/index.asp, or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/usnpeople/ or Twitter at https://twitter.com/usnpeople.
Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.
For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnp/.
Military.com – More Than 17,000 Uniformed Medical Jobs Eyed for Elimination
Here is an article about the cuts, also discussed in my POM20 post:
More Than 17,000 Uniformed Medical Jobs Eyed for Elimination
Finance Friday Articles
Jonathan Clements has a free, comprehensive, and continuously updated financial guide. He just announced the updates were made for 2019. It is a great resource for any financial topic, which you can find here:
This is also a great page to check out if you are looking to do a quick self-assessment of some portion of your financial life:
Here are this week’s articles:
10 Things Investors Can Expect in 2019
Celebrating Ten Years With The Backdoor Roth IRA
Student Loan Refinancing – Advice From the Trenches
Updating My Favorite Performance Chart for 2018
USU Outreach in Tropical Medicine
The Uniformed Services University (USU) Outreach in Tropical Medicine is CME approved and exploits the large amount of clinical care and public health practice relevant content of our graduate certificate in tropical medicine. It will be available this spring with remote access via Adobe Connect.
For those with interest, here is the CME activity brochure and learning objectives to help further describe the activity’s approach. Applicants who do not have .mil e-access must contact Dr. Brett-Major directly to become registered. His contact info is in the activity brochure.
Guest Post: The Fellowship-Retention Bonus “Loophole” Still Exists; Are You Eligible?
By Dustin Schuett, DO
Note: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense or the United States Government.
The 2018 Navy Graduate Medical Education Selection Board results were released 12 DEC 2018. For a select few Navy physicians pursuing fellowship, the opportunity exists to take a Retention Bonus (RB, formerly Multi-year Specialty Pay) and pay back their fellowship obligation and the RB obligation concurrently without extending their Navy commitment.
To be eligible, the physician must meet all of the following requirements:
- Be at 8 years or more of active duty time in the Medical Corps.
- Have completed all pre-commissioning obligation time:
- All initially obligated HPSP/USUHS/HSCP time AND any ROTC or USNA obligated time
- This does not include residency obligation time
Essentially, if you went to medical school on a 4 year HPSP scholarship, have completed or will have completed 4 or more years of combined GMO and post-residency payback time BEFORE starting fellowship and have 8 total years active duty Medical Corps time, you’re likely eligible.
Here is my personal example:
4 year HPSP > 1 year internship > 2 years as a GMO > 5 years of residency > 2 years post-residency staff time (4 total including GMO time) = 4 years of total payback completing HPSP obligation, 10 years in Medical Corps
As an orthopaedic surgeon, our annual Incentive Pay (IP) is $59,000. I was able to take a 3 year RB which increases my IP to $73,000 annually plus an additional $33,000 lump sum paid annually for a total of $106,000/year, a $47,000 increase per year without increasing my obligation time.
If you have questions about special pay, please follow the current BUMED guidance:
If there are any questions please direct them to your HRD/Admin/Special Pays Coordinator, or Specialty Leader, who will forward to BUMED inquiries they are unable answer at the command level, but no individuals should be bypassing their local command admin support, since they need to be able to understand the issues, and responses, to be able to better support the command.
For more information, see the Medical Corps Special Pay Guidance that can be found on the BUMED Special Pays website.
Good Luck!
The Word File of My Promo Board Letter and Other Templates
Lots of people are asking me for templates for letters to promotion boards. Here is the exact letter in Word format that I sent to last year’s O6 board (minus my Xed out SS#):
You can also use these:
2019 Military Pay Tables and the Finance Friday Articles
You can see the 2019 military pay tables here:
2019 Military Active & Reserve Component Pay Tables
Here are this week’s articles:
5 Thoughts on the Market Downturn
5 Things To Know About Volatile Markets
Do I need a Financial Advisor? Four Reasons to Use a Financial Advisor
First Principles Thinking: Should You Invest in a 401(k)?
From 28 Funds to 3: Simplifying to a Three Fund Portfolio
How to Retire Early as a Doctor
Mil Money: Here are 10 money moves for the new year
Struggling to put a financial plan together?
The Frugal Physician: 5 Steps to Becoming Debt Free
The Wall Street Physician Blog in 2018, And An Announcement
2019 Annual Blog Update
At the beginning of every year I give a general update on how the blog is doing. Enjoy!
Profit
As during previous years, profit was negative $99. I make no money on this, and it costs me $99/year.
Blog Traffic
Here’s a graph of blog traffic since the blog was started in mid-2015:
The light blue is page views and the dark blue is visitors:
- 2015 – 3,705 visitors viewed 10,870 pages with 66 posts published
- 2016 – 18,373 visitors viewed 43,673 pages with 133 posts published
- 2017 – 32,569 visitors viewed 88,263 pages with 194 posts published
- 2018 – 56,674 visitors viewed 151,044 pages with 212 posts published
10 Most Popular Blog Posts and Pages in 2018
Here are the 10 most popular pages and posts in 2018, excluding promotion board results (which always get high traffic):
- POM20 Navy Medicine Billet Reduction – 4,609 views
- Joel Schofer’s Promo Prep – 4,453 views
- Useful Documents – 2,600 views
- LCDR Fitreps – Language for Writing Your Block 41 – 2,425 views of this post from 2016
- Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep – 2,413 views
- CV, Military Bio, and Letter of Intent Templates – 2,158 views of this post from 2017
- Useful Links – 1,917 views
- What are AQDs and How Do You Get Them? – 1,555 views of this post from 2016
- Getting Retirement Credit for HPSP in the Reserves – 1,501 views
- Potential Problems if You’re Licensed to Practice Medicine in Nebraska – 1,408 views
5 Most Popular Videos of 2018
- Basic Anatomy of a Fitrep – 647 views
- FY20 Promotion Boards – What are They Looking At and How Can You Get Ready – 533 views
- Fitreps in 18 Minutes – 448 views
- How to Read Your Performance Summary Report (PSR) – 434 views
- The Quick and Dirty on Updating Your Record – 180 views
Thanks for all of your support. Everywhere I go people thank me for the blog, so I know a lot of you are benefiting from it. Because of that, I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 