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MOAA Post – Defense Bill Would Protect Hundreds of Military Medical, Dental Offices
This is certainly a short but interesting read…
Defense Bill Would Protect Hundreds of Military Medical, Dental Offices
Billets Still Available
I check the Medical Corps Chief sharepoint page (pick your e-mail CAC certificate) weekly to see what new information is on there. This spreadsheet was recently updated, and on it are a few billets still being advertised. If any of these interest you, contact your Detailer:
- Student at the Naval War College – O5/O6 with JPME I complete
- Physician Researcher at Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Springs, MD – any rank who is qualified as a researcher
- Senior Medical Officer on the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) in Guam – O5/O6
- Executive Medicine/Surgical Detailer at PERS – O6
- Medical Department Staff – Defense Intelligence Agency Detachment (Washington, DC) – O6
End-of-the-Month Personal Finance Post Summary
Here are all of my personal finance articles from the month of May:
Blogs, On-Line Resources, and Podcasts I Recommend
Get Ready to Remodel & Revisit Your Debts
How to Get Rich in the Military Article Compilation
Imagine You Were the Executor and Drop Unnecessary Insurance Coverage
Set Up a Home Equity Line of Credit
Think of Your Assets as Income
TSP Fund Deep Dive – The C Fund
TSP Fund Deep Dive – The F Fund
TSP Fund Deep Dive – The G Fund – Free Lunches Do Exist
TSP Fund Deep Dive – The I Fund – The TSP’s Most Controversial Fund
Joint Medical Executive Skills Website for Executive Medicine AQD is Down
I’ve received a few questions in the last 1-2 weeks about how to get the 67A Executive Medicine Additional Qualification Designator. After tracking down the latest info, it appears that for now the website is down. They are working on revamping the criteria to achieve the AQD and working the issue, but for now there is no way to get the AQD.
Once I have further info I’ll post it.
Guest Post – Why Most of You Should Switch to the Blended Retirement System
By Dr. Keith Roxo, LCDR, MC(FS), USN*
My graduating class from the Naval Academy has just reached 20 years and the first in zone selection board for O-6 recently occurred. I was not in zone. This is because I am an O-4…for the second time. Even though I never had any intention of leaving active duty after my aviation contract, I did that very thing. Life has a way of intervening in our plans and we have to live and work within that reality. My reality was that at 10.5 years my spouse wanted me out. In hopes of averting marital disaster, I acquiesced and left active duty.
When I first arrived at the Naval Academy in 1994, the military didn’t even have the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The first enrollment period began in October 2001, 3.5 years after I was commissioned and more than 2/3rds of the way through my initial service obligation. Despite that, I was hooked for a bit longer as I was serving a concurrent obligation for an aviation contract that was eight years after my winging. I signed up for the TSP and have been contributing ever since. I was about to enter my first squadron and I was in the profession I had always wanted. I had no plans on leaving the military. If the Blended Retirement System (BRS) was available then I would not have switched and I would have been wrong given that I did leave active duty with no plan to return. As it turns out, my marriage failed anyway and I rejoined the military as a second time Ensign at USUHS.
By the time most physicians are able to leave, they are around half way to a retirement, as I was. I frequently tell people they shouldn’t leave the military for the money. You are giving up the ability to transfer the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the pension and the health benefit. Those are very valuable. But you shouldn’t stay for the money either. There is a lot that can happen between initially signing up for USUHS, HPSP, HSCP or FAP and when your commitment is up. Half way to a pension means you still have half to go. No amount of money is worth it if you are completely miserable and can do well enough in the civilian sector.
There have been countless articles that discuss the BRS (Editor – all of which can be seen here and here) and who, among the eligible, should or should not switch over to the new system. There are also numerous calculators that can show you, as best as possible, the actual number breakdown. However, few of these articles and calculators can account for the realities associated with leaving the military or staying until retirement eligibility. You never know what the next few years hold for you and how your goals in life may change, just as mine did.
This is why I recommend to all eligible people, who aren’t committed to well past 10 years, to make the switch to the BRS.
*The views expressed in this blog post 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.
Construct for Implementation of Section 702 of NDAA 17 (Translation – Who’s Running the MTFs Under DHA?)
The document that tells us who is going to run military treatment facilities (MTFs) under the Defense Health Agency (DHA) was just released:
Construct for Implementation of Section 702
This quote from the first page gives you the bottom line:
As a general rule, at each MTF there will be a single military officer who will be dual hatted as the MTF Director, under the authority, direction, and control of the Director, Defense Health Agency (DHA), and the Service Commander, under the authority, direction, and control of the Military Department concerned. Acting on behalf of the Director, DHA, the MTF Director will determine the capacity of each MTF required to support both operational readiness and quality, access, and continuity in the delivery of clinical/health care services to members of the Armed Forces and other authorized beneficiaries.
With the objective of ensuring a “ready medical force” and a “medically ready force”, MTFs will be the default choice for the assignment, allocation, detail, or other utilization of military medical personnel. Such default will be subject to the capacity of the MTF to afford military medical personnel opportunities to obtain and maintain currency in the clinical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities associated with their medical specialties and communities, at or above minimum established thresholds.
The drive for operational readiness and support of war fighting and operational missions take primacy over the delivery of clinical/health care services and the execution of business operations in an MTF. To this end, each Military Department will have unrestricted access to its military medical personnel for all validated war fighting and operational requirements.
Director for Clinical Support Services, Ft. Belvoir – 05/06
All of the info about this leadership opportunity are found in this document:
FY19 O4 Medical Corps Promotion Opportunity is 100%
As usual, the O4 promotion opportunity for Medical Corps officers is 100%. How do I know? Because the day the board starts you can go to the board webpage, download the convening order, and check page 2. It is always there.
Here’s the website:
http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/boards/activedutyofficer/04staff/Pages/FY-19.aspx
Here’s the convening order. Check page 2:
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 