Retirement
Getting Retirement Credit for HPSP in the Reserves
In the recently released Winter Medical Corps Newsletter, I noticed this paragraph in the “Readiness in the Reserves” article:
Shipmates,
I have just returned from PERS-9 (Reserves), reviewing important administrative processes. Here is the gouge…
HPSP Credit: Jeanitta Edwards verifies that the member was a HPSP participant and that the member is in a critical wartime skill (defined by DOD each year). Once she verifies this information, she sends it to another individual to load in the points for the year as credit towards retirement. The instruction requires a full year of service to receive credit for 1 year and caps the credit at 4 years. Unfortunately, because many medical schools start in July and graduate in May, the 4th year does not qualify. Some may have earned other points that year which can carry over for credit towards a good year. The 15 gratuity points are allocated on a pro rata basis so you will only get half those points for a half a year of participation. We will post the guiding documents to the Medical Corps Homepage. Please note that the actual HPSP policy is currently being rewritten.
A reader asked, “What are the official critical wartime specialties?”
Here is the portion of the document that lists them:
So what do those mysterious codes mean? They are defined in the Promo Prep, but since I’m such a nice guy here is the translation. The CWS include:
- General Surgery (15C)
- Neurosurgery (15D)
- Orthopedics (15H)
- Radiology (16Y)
- Anesthesia (15B)
- Internal Medicine Subspecialties (16R1)
- Emergency Medicine (16P)
- Flight Surgery (15A)
- OB/GYN (15E)
- GMO (15F)
- Family Medicine (16Q)
- General Internal Medicine (16R)
- UMO (16U)
- Psychiatry (16X)
Update just prior to publication – My wife (a Reservist) was sent this chart in the Health Professions Officer Special and Incentive Pay Plan, and the specialties under “USNR” match the list above:
If you are in one of these specialties, you can get retirement credit for your time in HPSP (or at least 3 years of the 4). In addition to the info above, here is what else I could find about this program:
Army Policy – Guidance on Reserve Service Credit for Participation in DOD HPSP and FAP
Recruiting and Retention Incentives for Reserve Component Health Professions Officers
Retirement and Separation/Resignation Requests Now Requested in NSIPS
I announced this change back in November, but it has officially gone live. Anyone with access to NSIPS is required to use it for retirement and resignation requests effective 1 January, 2018.
The new system allows members to initiate retirement and separation requests electronically via NSIPS self service, route them through their chain of command for review and recommendation, and then electronically route the request to Navy Personnel Command (NPC) for a decision. This improvement provides transparency for service members as to the status of their request, provides an integrated waiver process when needed, and provides an electronic notification of the final disposition of the request for both the member and the command.
Also of note, statutory retirement notifications are now being generated through NSIPS to eliminate printing and distributing business letters via the postal service. A statutory retirement occurs when a LCDR hits 20 years of commissioned service (not counting enlisted time), a CDR 28 years, and a CAPT 30 years.
Early Separation Policy NAVADMIN Cancellations
The NAVADMIN is below and here if you want to read it, but what is the short story? The Navy is growing, and they’re not going to let you out early anymore. In other words, if you want to RETIRE (not resign) as a CDR or CAPT, you are going to have to serve your full 3 years in that rank before they’ll let you out. You can read more details in this post.
UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 131504Z DEC 17 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// NAVADMIN 288/17 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/DEC// SUBJ/EARLY SEPARATION POLICY NAVADMIN CANCELLATIONS// REF/A/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/081628ZMAY14// REF/B/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/171732ZAUG16// REF/C/DOC/COMNAVPERSCOM/23AUG06// NARR/REF A IS NAVADMIN 103/14, ENLISTED EARLY TRANSITION PROGRAM. REF B IS NAVADMIN 182/16, TIME-IN-GRADE AND NEXT-LOWER-GRADE WAIVERS. REF C IS MILPERSMAN 1300-500, REASSIGNMENT FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS (HUMS).// RMKS/1. References (a) and (b) are cancelled. 2. We are in a growing Navy. This requires more people, at a time when we are still working our way back to desired sea duty manning levels, and when the competition for talent is especially keen. We will certainly recruit and train many more Sailors to help meet these demands, but that will not be enough. 3. Retention of every capable Sailor will be critical to the operational readiness of the Navy. Therefore all early out programs and minimum service requirement waiver programs are cancelled. Service commitments such as enlistment contracts, service obligations for accepting promotions, bonuses, education, etc., are expected to be fulfilled. 4. Service members experiencing difficulty in fulfilling obligated service requirements are encouraged to work with their chains of command and detailers to examine available alternatives to complete their obligation, to include reassignments to other duties for humanitarian reasons, in line with reference (c). 5. It has been decades since the last period of major personnel growth in our Navy. You will see many additional policy changes in the coming weeks and months to set us on the right course. However, the most important tool we have is deckplate leadership and its ability to influence retention. The Navy is counting on each of you. 6. Released by VADM R. P. Burke, N1.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//
Retirement and Resignation Requests Will Be Submitted on NSIPS as of 1 JAN 2018
Here is a NAVADMIN that was just released about retirement and resignation requests being submitted on NSIPS. Since many Medical Officers are allergic to NAVADMINs, here are the highlights:
- This functionality allows members to initiate requests electronically via NSIPS self-service, route them through their chain of command for review and recommendation, and then electronically route the request to Navy Personnel Command for a decision.
- This improvement provides transparency for our service members on the status of their requests, an integrated waiver process when needed, and electronic notification of the final disposition of requests for both the member and the command.
- All officers submitting their voluntary resignation or retirement must utilize NSIPS for requests initiated on or after 1 January 2018.
- Service members must ensure their email addresses in NSIPS are correct to ensure timely delivery.
PoF Blog Post – Financial Implications of Leaving a Military Medicine Position
One of my readers pointed me to this blog post on Physician on Fire, which many of you will find interesting:
Financial Implications of Leaving a Military Medicine Position
If you’d like my own thoughts on the value of a military pension, you can read them here:
Blended Retirement System: 6 Major Considerations Before You Choose
Here is a nice article for those debating between the current retirement system and the new Blended Retirement System or BRS:
Blended Retirement System: What Will You Do? 6 Major Considerations Before You Choose
Military Times Article – Blended Retirement: Should I Make the Switch?
Here’s a link to another article about the new blended retirement system (BRS):
Personnel Chiefs Worry Over Deployment Pace, New Blended Retirement
Here is a link to an article that discusses two genuine concerns, the current operational tempo and the new Blended Retirement System (BRS):
Personnel Chiefs Worry Over Deployment Pace, New Blended Retirement
Beta Test of the DoD’s Blended Retirement System Calculator
Here is a link to the beta test of the Department of Defense Blended Retirement System Comparison Calculator:
Blended Retirement System Comparison Calculator – Beta Version
You Were Selected for Promotion to O5 or O6 – Should You Accept It?
BLUF – If you are hoping to retire but are not willing to serve 3 years as a Commander or Captain, you should decline the promotion. (This is not applicable if you are resigning. Only if you are hoping to retire.)
The policy regarding promotions and retirements is governed by OPNAVINST 1811.3A. If you are lucky enough to be selected for promotion to O5 or O6, you should be familiar with this instruction and make sure you are willing to spend 3 years as a CDR or CAPT before you plan to retire.
Paragraph 4b of the OPNAVINST states:
“Officers must satisfy the minimum active duty time-in-grade requirement to retire in the highest grade satisfactorily served…Officers who desire to retire before completion of the minimum time-in-grade requirement must decline appointment to the next higher grade. Officers who have accepted appointment to the next higher grade must satisfy the retired grade criteria in paragraph 7.”
Seems like we need to go to paragraph 7…
“7. Time-in-Grade Requirements. Unless retirement in the next inferior grade is directed by SECNAV for an officer or warrant officer under reference (c), then officers, warrant officers, and enlisted members retired voluntarily or transferred to the Fleet Reserve shall be retired in the highest grade satisfactorily held upon completion of the following time-in-grade requirements…Three years for an officer serving on active duty in pay grade O5 or O6.”
Paragraph 5b states:
“Unless waived by proper authority, approval of requests for voluntary retirement or transfer to the Fleet Reserve will normally be denied until an individual has completed: (1) The applicable time-in-grade requirements of paragraph 7;”
In addition, paragraph 7e states:
“COMNAVPERSCOM shall normally deny retirement requests or Fleet Reserve requests of members serving on active duty in, whose length of service in the highest grade held while on active duty does not meet the time-in-grade requirements specified above.”
What’s the bottom line? There are certain exceptions spelled out in this policy, and you can get information on time-in-grade or next-lower-grade waivers here and here, but if you want to retire and accept promotion to CDR or CAPT you should be willing to serve in that rank for 3 years. Otherwise, you should decline the promotion.
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