Navy Times – Higher Education Just Became a Much Bigger Factor on Navy FITREPs
Here’s a link to this article:
Higher Education Just Became a Much Bigger Factor on Navy FITREPs
Here are the other related and recent posts:
Updated Fitrep Prep and More Detail on Fitrep and Promo Board Changes from Recent NAVADMIN 137/20
AMSUS 2020 – Save the Dates 6-10 DEC
Save the date for the 129th AMSUS Annual Meet to be held on 6-10 December 2020 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor Maryland! This year’s theme “Federal Health: A Global Vision Beginning in Your Community” continues to support federal health professionals and honors the legacy of federal medicine’s tremendous impact in advancing and improving health for all Americans and international coalition partners! A data call is forthcoming, and additional guidance for BSO-18 personnel.
See a few important deadlines:
- AMSUS Lecture Abstracts and AMSUS Annual Award Nominations due 17 JUL 2020
- AMSUS Poster Abstracts due 3 AUG 2020
*Award Recipients will be announced late SEP 2020
For additional details, and information, check out: www.amsus.org
Consolidated PDF with COVID Resources
The flow of information on COVID-19 is overwhelming, but this PDF is a pretty good consolidated reference so I wanted to share it:
Estate Planning in the Navy
Everyone reading this needs to take a few estate planning steps. First, everyone needs a will, which you can get for free. Second, everyone needs to make sure your life insurance and retirement accounts have the correct beneficiaries. Third, many should consider working with an estate planning attorney, as we’ll discuss below.
You Need a Will
A properly constructed will ensures that your values and desires are carried out in the event you no longer can communicate them. While you may wish to give your estate to family members, your church, or a charity, without a will what happens to your assets is dictated by state law. The IRS, a nursing home, your spouse’s next spouse, or some other less than desirable entity may wind up with the lion’s share of your assets.
A will designates where you want your assets to go and, if applicable, who will take care of your children. A will usually names the guardian who will take care of your children and the trustee who will manage their assets. These roles can be the same person, or you can name different people. A will cannot specify when or for what purpose your assets should be given to your beneficiaries, so if you don’t have any other documents then the assets will be given according to your state law (Reference: Martin, Larson and Larson). For example, if you have an estate of $3 million (don’t forget that this number could be bigger than you think because it would include your life insurance) and you die without a will, your children could inherit all of that money at the age of 18 or 21, the most common ages of maturity.
There is no excuse for someone in the military – you need a will. You likely deploy, you are probably at higher risk of dying as a result, and you can get one for free at your local legal services office, which are located on almost every military base. If you have trouble locating legal assistance, you can find the office nearest your location by visiting this website. Military.com also has a great page about legal assistance you can find here.
If you just don’t trust me for some reason, there’s also an article on Military OneSource that explains the details about why you need a will.
Probate
If you have a will, upon your death the will must pass through probate. Probate is a process that can be tedious, expensive, and lengthy, depending on where you live. During probate a court validates your will and empowers the executor to use it. Assets like insurance policies and retirement accounts that name a beneficiary do not have to go through probate. Because it is expensive, public, and can be contested, probate is something to avoid if at all possible.
Keep in mind that once you have a will and have named beneficiaries for your life insurance and retirement accounts, you will need to update them if you marry, divorce, have children, your executor dies, one of your beneficiaries dies, you move to a different state, or any other significant life change occurs.
Estate Planning Attorneys
If you want to specify when or for what purpose your assets should be given to your beneficiaries or you want to avoid probate with a trust, this is where an estate planning attorney enters the picture. A common strategy is to create a trust for the benefit of your children that specifies when they are to receive your assets. For example, my estate plan gives my two children 1/3rd at the age of 20, 1/3rd at the age of 30, and 1/3rd at the age of 40. There are other options, such as granting a trustee or creating a more detailed estate plan that communicates your values to your children, such as paying for education or a down payment on a house even if they haven’t reached the age at which they’d normally get the inheritance.
You may also need an attorney to draft advance directives to specify your wishes if a medical emergency should occur. Who will be the decision maker? What are your specific life support decisions should your condition be irreversible? These documents are usually included in a comprehensive estate plan, but what isn’t included is the conversation you should have with your family. As medical professionals we all realize that these documents are rarely available when decisions need to be made, so having a conversation with your family about your wishes may be more important than having the actual documents.
You may also need powers of attorney to grant others the right to make financial decisions in the event of your incapacity. These can be “durable” (used at any time) or specific to certain conditions, such as your incapacity.
The federal estate tax, also known as the death tax, has changed many times since World War I. In 2020, a single person can pass $11.58 million to his/her heirs without paying estate tax, and those married can pass $23.16 million. Because most of us won’t have this high of a net worth, the federal estate tax is usually not an issue. Individual states, though, may also have estate or inheritance taxes that you need to plan for because many have much lower amounts that are tax free. Many states have very different laws, so make sure that any estate planning attorney you work with is familiar with the laws of your state.
The estate tax is not relevant if you die and you are passing assets to your spouse. Spouses can pass unlimited amounts without taxes. If your spouse is not a US citizen, though, the situation gets a lot more complicated.
If you have an estate worth more than $11.58 million (single) or $23.16 million (married) and you are trying to pass assets to a non-spouse, there are many different (and complicated) trusts and strategies you can adopt. The bottom line is that you’ll need the help of a qualified estate planning attorney.
The other option is to give away enough money as you approach the end of your life so that your estate is no longer above the limit. Take a look at your finances, get some idea of how much money you are likely to die with, and decide if you should start giving some of it away to charity and/or family now.
Same-sex couples should consult an attorney due to the complexities of estate planning in that scenario.
Letter of Last Instruction
A final document to consider creating is a letter of last instruction, also known as a “doomsday letter.” In today’s increasingly electronic world where financial statements are no longer delivered via US mail, family members may have difficulty locating all of the necessary items in the event of your death. Your letter would help in this case and should include (Ref: Clements):
- Funeral instructions
- A list of financial assets and liabilities, safe deposit boxes, and any professionals you deal with (financial advisors, attorneys, doctors, etc.)
- The location of key documents, like birth certificates, titles for cars, wills and trusts, tax returns, and financial statements
- Usernames and passwords for key websites
- An inventory of high value household items or possessions and who you want to receive them (if they are not included in your will)
Summary
Likely everyone reading this needs a will and to make sure that their life insurance and retirement accounts have the proper beneficiaries listed. In addition, those with more complex or large financial holdings, a desire to shape how and when they bequeath their assets, the need for trusts, or a same-sex relationship should consult with an estate planning attorney.
References
Clements, Jonathan. Money Guide 2015. Jonathan Clements, LLC, 2015.
Martin, Tom, Paul Larson and Jeff Larson. Doctor’s Eyes Only: Exclusive Financial Strategies for Today’s Doctors and Dentists. Brockport & Schoolcraft, LLC, 2012.
Military Times – Troops Should Expect a Big Pay Raise Next Year
Here’s a link to this article:
FY21 Milestone Note and Opportunities
Here are the FY21 milestone note and opportunities, which include:
- Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
- Director for Administration (DFA)
- Director of Dental Services (DDS)
- Officer-in-Charge (OIC)
- Senior Nurse Executive (SNE)
The deadline is 15 JUN, just as it is for XO and CO applications. The note details the application process.
The link on page 1 of the note is not working for me, but here is one that should work:
https://esportal.med.navy.mil/bumed/m00/m00c/pages/executive-medicine.aspx
I would emphasize the following portions of the note to anyone interested:
1. Applicants are to “be universally assignable and able to meet permanent change of station (PCS) parameters. Rare exceptions may be considered. Officers that are unsure if they meet PCS parameters for a FY 2021 career milestone assignment should discuss with their detailer prior to submitting an application.”
2. “Applicants who successfully screen are considered eligible for assignment to any career milestone OIC, DFA, SNE, CMO, and DDS position. Consideration will be given for the categories selected on the application; however, if slated the assignment will be based on the “needs of the Navy.” Officers who apply for career milestone screening should do so with this in mind, and be willing to accept the position for which they are slated.”
Updated Fitrep Prep and More Detail on Fitrep and Promo Board Changes from Recent NAVADMIN 137/20
Because of NAVADMIN 137/20 and the increased focus it put on education in fitness reports, I updated Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep. The new portion is on page 15 and spells out the new requirements for block 41, which are spelled out below in detail, but later in the NAVADMIN it says in brief:
(2) For Block 41 (Comments on Performance), document professional military education, off-duty education and other educational and learning achievements pursued during the reporting period.
It also says this about promotion boards:
We will also update selection board precept and convening order guidance to direct board membership to review and brief specific education and learning contributions found in the official service records of eligible personnel, and to consider these documented accomplishments across the career of an individual when deliberating the best and fully qualified selection criteria. Statutory and administrative selection board presidents will be held accountable for ensuring compliance with this guidance in respect to board processes.
You better make sure you do some of this stuff and put it in your block 41, which I think would include CME/continuing education, JPME, Master’s degrees, service schools, and just about any other education related to your position that you do.
Here’s the detailed/longer portion of the NAVADMIN about fitreps:
3. To support these goals, and in conjunction with MyNavyHR efforts to
integrate education effectively into Sailor 2025 talent management
initiatives, FITREPs will include specific comments regarding education,
learning and support for a learning culture.
This requirement will allow us to identify, select and reward those officers
who have demonstrated the commitment and ability to learn, as well as those
who encourage and support the learning of others, by placing them into
positions of influence at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.
a. Reporting Seniors must document:
(1) All personal achievements in education and learning that
contribute to a culture of continuous learning, improved knowledge and
warfighting effectiveness at both the individual and unit level.
Resources include:
(a) Resident and non-resident professional military education
coursework,
(b) Professional and academic qualifications and certifications,
(c) Civilian education coursework,
(d) A personal reading program that includes (but is not limited
to) selections from the Chief of Naval Operations Reading List,
(e) Participation in discussion groups and military societies,
(f) Publishing in national security or military journals, and
(g) Involvement in learning through new technologies.
For purposes of this NAVADMIN, military societies are organizations that
exist specifically to support education, training and professional
development of personnel in a given community. The definition of military
societies does not include associations intended to promote the morale or
general well-being of Service Members.
(2) Individual commitment to intellectual growth in ways beneficial
to the Navy, including rigorous self-assessment and efforts to improve:
(a) Leadership,
(b) Decision making,
(c) Creativity,
(d) Analytic ability,
(e) Commitment to ethics,
(f) Geopolitical awareness, and
(g) Understanding of emerging military technologies and complex
military operations.
(3) The effort of the individual to support the continuing education
of subordinates they command or supervise.
(4) The degree to which the officer continued to assess self, develop
professionally, improve current skills and knowledge and acquire new skills.
(5) The extent to which these achievements increase the breadth and
depth of warfighting and leadership aptitude.
SG’s Message – The Flame That Cannot Be Extinguished
Dear Esteemed Navy Medicine Colleagues,
More than a hundred years ago, Florence Nightingale offered us the following words of wisdom: “Nursing is an art, and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work.” The devotion to the “art of nursing” is on full display for the world to see as Navy nurses continue to answer our Nation’s call and serve on the frontlines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we recognize National Nurses Week and the Nurse Corps Birthday on 13 May, we celebrate the care and evidence-based practice and innovation these medical professionals bring every day to help our Sailors, Marines, and fellow Americans get well and stay healthy.
A critical component to improve the wellness and readiness of our force as we battle COVID-19 is to increase our arsenal of knowledge about the virus. In previous weeks, I discussed the dynamic efforts of the Navy Medical Research and Development (NMR&D) Enterprise in adapting to the challenges caused by this pandemic. In addition to operating within sea, air, land, space, cyberspace, and logistical frameworks, we must now fight against emerging pathogens and infectious diseases to protect America and our national security interests. To this end, our teams of scientists and researchers have been spearheading innovative countermeasures that will successfully supply us with vital data needed to operate in what Adm. James Foggo calls the “seventh domain” of warfighting – the biosphere.
Recognizing the importance of collecting medical data to help our country defend against COVID-19, Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) recently initiated the first-ever comprehensive research study to examine the serologic, clinical, and epidemiological aspects of the virus among young, healthy populations. The aim is to support the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island’s medical mission to achieve maximum recruit health and meet graduation requirements and standards during the pandemic.
On May 4, NMRC commenced the COVID-19 Health Action Response for Marines (CHARM) study at Parris Island and the Citadel. All study findings will be provided in real-time, in an effort to inform operational leaders with actionable information to help protect our Force and preserve war-fighting capabilities and readiness. This study will help inform future decisions regarding isolation and quarantine, identify personnel infected with mild or no symptoms, and help determine when recruits can safely return to training. Additionally, we hope to grasp a better understanding of how our bodies fight the virus by obtaining blood, saliva, and nasal samples that we can use to develop or improve tests, vaccines, drugs, and other countermeasures.
The road ahead will not be without challenges, but with the expertise of our NMR&D scientists, our public health teams, and Navy medical professionals on duty around the world, we will come out of this stronger and more mission ready. Every day our scientists, nurses, corpsmen, doctors, and medical support staff actively continue to leverage the principles of rapid-cycle feedback to share lessons learned and inform future decision which help Navy and Marine Corps leaders mitigate the long-term impact of COVID-19. Through it all, the spirit and light of Florence Nightingale’s raised “little lamp” is kept alive and burning brightly because of the skill and dedication our One Navy Medicine Team brings to the fight every day.
With my continued respect and admiration, SG
V/R,
Bruce L. Gillingham, MD, CPE, AOA
RADM, MC, USN
Surgeon General, U.S. Navy
Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Greater Emphasis on Education and Learning in FITREPs
Just one more reason to get JPME…
MILLINGTON, Tennessee (NNS) — The Navy’s recent deep dive into the value of higher education moved from idea to reality as the service will now require officer fitness reports to detail an individual’s educational and learning achievements as well as how these pursuits contributed to their unit’s mission effectiveness during a reporting period.
Announced in NAVADMIN 137/20 on May 7, this latest initiative shows Navy leadership’s commitment to the idea that career-long military learning isn’t only community or job-related technical or tactical training. Navy senior leadership wants this knowledge to be combined with higher education, a commitment to continuous learning, and the resulting critical thinking and analysis skills to build the Navy of the future.
This change is a logical next step in a path the Navy has been on for nearly two years, starting with the Education for Seapower Study which was published in December 2018.
“To deter and outfight potential opponents in a world defined by great power competition, our force of professionals is going to have to outthink them, and we can only do that through continual learning and education,” said the acting Secretary of the Navy James E. McPherson of the performance system changes.
“Our action today will ensure that our talent management system rewards officers who advance warfighting effectiveness through intellectual development and represents an important milestone as we implement our comprehensive Education for Seapower Strategy.”
According to the message, officer fitness reports must now detail what each individual in the service has done since their last report to further their education and support a culture of continuous learning. This will provide necessary information to Navy selection boards that will be directed to place an even greater emphasis on education and learning during their deliberations.
“The value that education and continuous learning brings to our Navy team is undisputed and directly supports our ability to deliver decisive naval power when called,” said Rear Adm. Jeff Hughes, deputy chief of naval personnel who oversees Navy selection boards at Navy Personnel Command. “It is imperative to document an individual’s commitment to intellectual growth in ways beneficial to the Navy, and the extent to which these achievements increase the breadth and depth of warfighting and leadership aptitude.”
The Navy updated its Navy Performance Evaluation System instruction – BUPERS Instruction 1610.10E to reflect these changes. It details where and when reporting seniors must document and assess each individual’s educational and learning achievements during a reporting period as they would things like their tactical performance or military bearing/character for example.
What will be considered includes formal education and learning such as resident and non-resident professional military education coursework, professional and academic qualifications and certifications, and civilian education courses.
Even more informal learning is encouraged, including personal reading programs that include, but are not limited to selections from the Chief of Naval Operation’s Reading List. Also, participation in discussion groups and military societies, writing in national security or military journals, as well as involvement in learning through new technologies will qualify.
This program is initially starting with the officer community based on their smaller numbers and existing educational opportunities and will be rolled out force wide once it is determined how to effectively measure the additional inputs. The continuing education of the entire force is extremely important. A full rollout will be done in a deliberate manner to ensure the Navy’s enlisted warfighters remain focused on their technical trades while balancing formal education and continuous learning. Ultimately, this program, and the continuing education it encourages is designed to ensure that the Navy is developing and deploying more capable and effective leaders and technical experts.
Exactly which trait grades and how seniors are to use the updated evaluation criteria are detailed in the message.
More information is available on these changes can be found in NAVADMIN 137/20 at http://www.npc.navy.mil.
To read about the importance of these changes directly from the Chief Learning Officer and Chief of Naval Personnel, please visit their co-authored blog titled “Education and Learning an Operational Imperative” at the NavyLive blog.
Finance Friday Articles
Here are my favorites this week:
Introducing Coverage Critic: Time to Kill the $80 Mobile Phone Bill Forever
The ‘Great Fall’ and the road to recovery
The Stock Market’s Behavior is Anybody’s Guess
Here are the rest of this week’s articles:
‘A Bargain With the Devil’—Bill Comes Due for Overextended Airbnb Hosts
A Budget With No Payments: The Dream Life
Bucket Strategies – Challenging Previous Research
Don’t Give Up On Your Small-Cap Value Strategy
Five Important Financial Goals for Physicians
How Affluent Parents Can Teach Their Kids About Money
How to spend your stimulus check
How Will the Crisis Impact Housing Prices?
Is Buying an Annuity in a Bear Market a Good Idea?
Is Buying an Annuity in a Zero Interest Rate Environment a Good Idea?
It’s Just Another Manic Market
Retire That Life Insurance Policy?
Sorry, Naysayers. Coronavirus Is NOT the End of the FIRE Movement—It’s Exactly What We Planned For!
The 1% Rule for Evaluating Rental Properties
The Importance of Finding Contentment Today
The White Coat Investor: It’s time to follow your plan
Want to Be Successful? Model Successful People (Here’s a Way)
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 