orders
Throwback Thursday Classic Post – How to Manage Your PRD and Not Get Stuck with a “Hotfill”
(I’m going to start re-posting some of the better and more popular blog posts on the site on Throwback Thursday. Much of the content is evergreen or requires minimal updates, and the blog has a much larger readership than when many of these posts first ran.)
There are many important dates in your Navy career. One of the most important and neglected dates, though, is your projected rotation date or PRD. Your PRD is the month and year that your current orders will expire and you are scheduled to rotate to a new command. If you don’t manage your PRD and pay close attention to it, you can find yourself with few career options and in a situation you never thought you’d be in. With that in mind, here are my tips for managing your PRD.
Know Your PRD
First, know when it is because many physicians don’t know their PRD. If you are in this crowd, the easiest way to find your PRD is to login to BUPERS On-Line and look at block 14 of your Officer Data Card:
The other way to find your PRD is to contact your Detailer because they can look it up in the detailing system. Many physicians don’t know their Detailer, so here is a link to a page with “Contact Us” in the middle.
Manage Your PRD
Once you know your PRD, the easiest way to manage it is with whatever calendar you use (an app, web calendar like Google Calendar, Outlook, a date book, etc.). Place reminders in your calendar to correspond with these time frames:
13-18 Months Before Your PRD – This is when you should start thinking about your next career move. Although the normal time period to request an extension (find a template here) at your current command is 9-12 months before your PRD, many physicians request an extension during this time period if they are sure they want to extend. This is also a great time to talk to the Operational Detailer about operational billets you might have interest in or the Senior Detailer about what I’ll call “alternative billets” like those at DHA/BUMED, BUPERS, global health engagement billets, NAVMEDWEST, NAVMEDEAST, etc. If you act on your PRD in this timeframe, you’ll be well ahead of the game.
9-12 Months Before Your PRD – This is the traditional detailing window where you contact your Detailer and Specialty Leader to negotiate your next career move. This is when physicians normally submit an extension request as well as explore potential billets for their next set of orders. The one caveat is that the availability of billets is often contingent on the results of the Graduate Medical Education Selection Board or GMESB. Since these results are not finalized until January, people with summer PRDs will find that they may have to wait beyond this time period to find out what billets are available and get orders.
6-8 Months Before Your PRD – This is when the list of billets that are actually available will solidify and most physicians will get orders. If you want to extend at your current command and you haven’t submitted an extension request yet, you should do that ASAP.
1-5 Months Before Your PRD – Many physicians will get into this period without orders. If it is because you were waiting on the results of the GMESB, you are probably fine. If you are in this period for another reason, you should get nervous. The truth is that unanticipated things always happen. Commanding Officers don’t endorse extension requests. Unanticipated openings cause a Detailer and Specialty Leader to have a “hotfill” billet. When things like this happen, a Detailer goes looking for officers close to their PRD to fill the need. If you are in this window without orders, you are low lying fruit for filling these needs. And just so you know, most of these “hotfills” are not in Rota or San Diego.
At Your PRD or Beyond – Physicians let their PRDs “expire” all the time. Sometimes it is because they submit an extension request that never gets approved because it gets lost somewhere in the process. Other times they don’t know when their PRD is. Realistically, there is often no consequence if your PRD expires, although some commands will pick up on this fact and get your attention by threatening to take away your computer access. The biggest threat, though, is the aforementioned “hotfills” that inevitably show up. If your PRD is expired, you are going to rise to the top of the list when the Detailer goes looking for people to fill that need. Have fun wherever that “hotfill” is.
The Bottom Line – Know when your PRD is and manage it according to the above timeline. This will give you the maximum chance of getting what you want and reduce the chance that you are selected for a “hotfill” you don’t want.
Navy Revises Delayed Dependent Travel of School-aged Dependents of Sailors Undergoing a PCS
WASHINGTON (NNS) — Effective immediately, to minimize the disruption to the education of school-aged children and increase family stability, Navy has revised the delayed dependent travel policy for Sailors who are undergoing a permanent change of station (PCS) and have school-aged dependents.
In line with Joint Travel Regulations, when PCS orders have been issued, a Sailor’s dependents may perform PCS travel at a different time. The Sailor may also be authorized a housing allowance based on the location at which the dependents maintained a permanent residence, at the previously approved designated place or the old permanent duty station.
Sailors with school-aged dependents frequently request delayed dependent travel. Under the old policy, approval for requests to delay dependent travel were normally limited to the end of the current school term, which is usually the end of June or December (depending on the member’s detach date). The new policy allows Sailors with school-aged dependents to request delayed dependent travel until the end of the school year.
For questions on this updated policy, contact the Military Pay and Compensation Policy Branch via email at Nxag_n130c@navy.mil.
For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnp/.
No More Letters of Intent Due to 6 Month Lead Time for PCS Orders
The navy released a NAVADMIN about PCS orders. In summary, it says:
- With increased orders lead time (OLT), letters of intent (LOI) are no longer as impactful and less critical for Sailors and their dependents.
- OLT is expected to remain around six months in aggregate for the foreseeable future. Sailors should receive orders with adequate time to complete the required documentation and logistical planning for both continental United States (CONUS) and overseas/remote assignments before beginning the permanent change of station (PCS) process, negating the need for the LOI.
When orders were being released less than 2 months before a PCS, officers were able to get a LOI so they could get on waiting lists for base housing or child development centers. It sounds like we won’t need those for the foreseeable future.
Navy Increasing Orders Lead Times
Here’s a link to this Navy Times article that discusses additional money that was approved to improve the release of orders:
Detailing Update – Orders, PRDs, Resignation, Retirement, a Survey, and War College
Here are a few notes one of the Detailers sent out yesterday:
Delayed Order Release
Due to financial constraints, no orders have been released in the last several weeks. We acknowledge this is incredibly inconvenient to our constituents. Standby for more information, we will pass it as we get it.
Expired Projected Rotation Dates (PRDs)
Many officers have PRDs that are set to expire this summer. Officers with expired PRDs are attractive targets to place in high priority OCONUS and operational billets. Please get your extension requests in ASAP.
Resignation/Retirement
Officers planning to resign or retire should have their requests in 9 months prior to their requested detachment month. Requests turned in less than 6 to 9 months prior to requested detachment will be kicked back. There were several officers extended past their obligation because they did not send their request in on time.
I recommend reading CDR Schofer’s blog post entitled “How to Resign Worry Free.”
The earliest these can be submitted is 12 months prior to requested detach date.
Survey for Officers with a 2017 PRD
If your PRD was in 2017 and you accepted PCS orders or extended, please consider completing a one minute survey to assess attitudes regarding the billet assignment process among Medical Corps officers. The survey will close June 1st.
Last year we administered a survey of Navy Medical Corps officers to assess attitudes regarding the billet assignment process. We took measures to improve the process for billets assigned in 2017 and we are administering another short survey to measure improvement. The results, available at the end of the survey, will be briefed to leadership and made public. THANK YOU!
Naval War College
PERS needs people for the August 2017 Naval War College class. Applicants must have completed Joint Professional Military Education 1. They will consider breaking orders for appropriate applicants. Please see this blog post for a War College description by a current student.
Households Goods Move Timelines Compressed Due to FY17 Continuing Resolution
From Naval Supply Systems Command Global Logistics Support Office of Corporate Communications
SAN DIEGO (NNS) — The Navy Household Goods (HHG) global team announced Feb. 8 Sailors should expect a compressed timeline for planning and scheduling military moves through the end of the Continuing Resolution (CR) for fiscal year 2017.
As a result, once Sailors are in receipt of orders from their detailers, they should submit those orders to the HHG website within 72 hours to initiate the HHG shipment process. The website for submitting orders is www.navsup.navy.mil/household.
The consequence of the CR is service members will receive their orders only approximately two months prior to their expected move timeframe. Due to the way resources are phased and allocated under a CR, the Navy currently does not have sufficient funds in its manpower accounts to allow for the normal three to four month lead times for Sailors’ PCS orders.
Besides the time constraints, the impact of the CR will be exasperated by the usual annual peak season challenge of private-sector capacity limitations across the industry; shipping, packing, and transportation.
“We are operating under a compressed timeline due to the current CR, and our personnel working at Navy Household Goods are doing everything in their power to facilitate PCS moves once Sailors provide their official orders online,” said Rear Adm. James McNeal, commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Global Logistics Support.
Navy HHG is providing scheduled, live webinars in an effort to help educate Sailors and their families on the HHG moving process. The schedule for the webinars is available on the www.navsup.navy.mil/household website.
“We are making extra effort to ensure our Sailors and their families are taken care of during the PCS move process; however, I cannot stress how critical it is that the service member follow the guideline to submit their official orders to our website online as soon as possible once in receipt,” said Deborah McGlennon, HHG program manager.
“PCS moves are always a team effort between the Sailor, the family members, and the Navy HHG team, but they begin with that first action — submitting the official orders online,” said McGlennon. “That must be initiated by the Sailor.”
PCS Orders Will Be Delayed Due to the Continuing Resolution
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Navy announced today that Sailors should expect to receive orders with approximately two months lead time for permanent change of station (PCS) moves following passage of a second Continuing Resolution (CR) for Fiscal Year 17 that will fund the government through April 28, of next year.
“The Navy fully realizes that these shortened lead times limit Sailors’ time to prepare for moves, and burdens them and their families,” said Chief of Naval Personnel, Vice Adm. Robert Burke. “Going forward, we remain committed to providing Sailors with as much information and lead time as we can. Our goal remains to mitigate the CR’s impact on Sailors and their families, to the best of our ability. We ask for your patience as we work through the funding challenges.”
Due to the way resources are phased and allocated under a CR, the Navy currently does not have sufficient funds in our manpower accounts to allow for normal three to four month lead times for Sailors’ PCS orders.
While the Navy will make every effort to ensure that PCS orders are released in a timely manner, these fiscal challenges will result in compressed PCS timelines for Sailors. To date, NPC has received less funding than planned and the average lead time for PCS orders has decreased to approximately two months. Sailors who have not yet received orders will likely have less than two months lead time when the orders are released.
The Navy has utilized a prioritization strategy in previous PCS funding-constrained periods with the intent to minimize impact to Fleet readiness, career timing, and families. Emphasis will remain on global support assignment rotations, career milestone billets, critical readiness fills, minimizing gaps at sea for deployed units and those working up to deploy, and keeping the training pipelines moving. Those Sailors who are going to operational units about to deploy, numbered fleet staffs, overseas billets, individual augmentees or must-moves (safety, early return of dependents, humanitarian) will be issued their orders first.
Additionally, Navy Personnel Command will continue to issue letters of intent for overseas moves. That way, while orders may not be in hand, individuals can start the process of doing overseas and medical screenings, dependent entry approval, passport applications and security clearance requests.
We encourage all Sailors with projected rotation dates during this fiscal year to contact their detailers with questions and concerns with the understanding that there may be a delay as we work through Sailors’ issues.
Chief of Naval Personnel’s Message Regarding PCS Orders Delay
Here is a link to the CNP’s message regarding delays in people receiving their orders:
http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2016/06/22/pcs-orders-lead-times-three-things-you-need-to-know/
The most pertinent part of the message for us is this portion below (if you are having issues with your orders, you will need to contact your Detailer):
“However, given the current fiscal constraints, the Navy is prioritizing PCS moves in order to remain within budget. Highest priority moves are those to fill critical gaps at sea, billets for individual augmentees, force protection, humanitarian, safety and overseas billets – they will be issued first. All other orders will be released following a sequenced move schedule to ensure the Fleet is manned properly.
We have released priority one moves (individual augmentee, immediate and OFRP deployers, numbered fleet staffs, overseas billets) and must-moves (safety, early return of dependents, humanitarian) with estimated detach dates through the end of July, and are now working on August orders and beyond.
Also, to help alleviate some pressure, Navy Personnel Command will continue to issue letters of intent for overseas moves. That way, while orders may not be in hand, individuals can start the process of doing overseas and medical screenings, dependent entry approval, passport applications and security clearance requests.”
How to Manage Your PRD and Not Get Stuck with a “Hotfill”
There are many important dates in your Navy career. One of the most important and neglected dates, though, is your projected rotation date or PRD. Your PRD is the month and year that your current orders will expire and you are scheduled to rotate to a new command. If you don’t manage your PRD and pay close attention to it, you can find yourself with few career options and in a situation you never thought you’d be in. With that in mind, here are my tips for managing your PRD.
First, know when it is because many physicians don’t know their PRD. If you are in this crowd, the easiest way to find your PRD is to login to BUPERS On-Line and look at block 14 of your Officer Data Card:
The other way to find your PRD is to contact your detailer because they can look it up in the detailing system. Many physicians don’t know their detailer, so here is a link to a page with “Contact Us” in the middle. That link will take you to your detailer’s contact info, but note that it is CAC protected:
http://www.npc.navy.mil/bupers-npc/officer/Detailing/rlstaffcorps/medical/Pages/default.aspx
Once you know your PRD, the easiest way to manage it is with whatever calendar you use (an app, web calendar like Google Calendar, Outlook, a date book, etc.). Place reminders in your calendar to correspond with these time frames:
13-18 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR PRD – This is when you should start thinking about your next career move. Although the normal time period to request an extension (find a template here) at your current command is 9-12 months before your PRD, many physicians request an extension during this time period if they are sure they want to extend. This is also a great time to talk to the operational detailer about operational billets you might have interest in or the senior detailer about what I’ll call “alternative billets” like those at DHA/BUMED, BUPERS, global health engagement billets, NAVMEDWEST, NAVMEDEAST, etc. If you act on your PRD in this timeframe, you’ll be well ahead of the game.
9-12 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR PRD – This is the traditional detailing window where you contact your detailer and specialty leader to negotiate your next career move. This is when physicians normally submit an extension request as well as explore potential billets for their next set of orders. The one caveat is that the availability of billets is often contingent on the results of the Graduate Medical Education Selection Board or GMESB. Since these results are not finalized until January, people with summer PRDs will find that they may have to wait beyond this time period to find out what billets are available and get orders.
6-8 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR PRD – This is when the list of billets that are actually available will solidify and most physicians will get orders. If you want to extend at your current command and you haven’t submitted an extension request yet, you should do that ASAP.
1-5 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR PRD – Many physicians will get into this period without orders. If it is because you were waiting on the results of the GMESB, you are probably fine. If you are in this period for another reason, you should get nervous. The truth is that unanticipated things always happen. Commanding Officers don’t endorse extension requests. Unanticipated openings cause a detailer and specialty leader to have a “hotfill” billet. When things like this happen, a detailer goes looking for officers close to their PRD to fill the need. If you are in this window without orders, you are low lying fruit for filling these needs. And just so you know, most of these “hotfills” are not in Rota or San Diego.
AT YOUR PRD OR BEYOND – Physicians let their PRDs pass all the time. Sometimes it is because they submit an extension request that never gets approved because it gets lost somewhere in the process. Other times they don’t know when their PRD is. Realistically, there is often no consequence if your PRD “expires,” although some commands will pick up on this fact and get your attention by threatening to take away your computer access. The biggest threat, though, is the aforementioned “hotfills” that inevitably show up. If your PRD is expired, you are going to rise to the top of the list when the detailer goes looking for people to fill that need. Have fun wherever that “hotfill” is.
THE BOTTOM LINE – Know when your PRD is and manage it according to the above timeline. This will give you the maximum chance of getting what you want and reduce the chance that you are selected for a “hotfill” you don’t want.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 