Navy Reservists anticipating retirement eligibility notified that they have another three years to go
Many Navy Reserve doctors and dentists had already made plans and arrangements with the expectation that they would be able to transfer from the ready reserve to the retired reserve. These Sailors felt that they had a special “fast track” deal where they were credited with up to four years of qualifying service. However, some of these doctors were told that due to a record keeping error, they owed the Navy another three years. The Navy side of this issue claimed that many officers were erroneously awarded the extra years with some retiring early when they were not supposed to.
From NBC News:
That dentist had invested $2 million in opening a private practice in anticipation of retiring this summer. One of the physicians said he had sold his house and car to move overseas before learning he owed three more years.
“I feel like I’m trapped,” another doctor said. “It’s terrible. It’s unfair. It’s dishonorable.”
To retire with benefits, which kick in at age 60, members of the Reserves must accumulate at least 20 years of qualifying service.
For years, doctors and dentists who participated in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program were awarded up to four years in retirement credit if they went on to join the Selected Reserve — the military’s primary source of backup manpower — after fulfilling their active duty service obligations.
The Army, Navy and Air Force used that credit as an incentive to retain health care workers, who were considered to be a “critical wartime shortage speciality,” according to a 2002 Army memorandum issuing guidance on the policy.
While the Army and Air Force confirmed it still allows doctors and dentists to use that credit toward retirement, those in the Navy Reserves started seeing that credit vanish from their records last year.
In January 2022, one physician’s record reflected that he had accumulated 19 years of qualifying service. Six months later, it went down to 16 years.
An official letter, sent by Navy Personnel Command last June and obtained by NBC News, said an “error was discovered” and a “review of all program participants’ records indicated that non-creditable time has been calculated as credible.”
A “data migration issue” within the Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System “prematurely” awarded four years of service credit to officers, Cmdr. Rick Chernitzer, a Navy Personnel Command spokesperson, said in a statement to NBC News.
NBC News has the rest of the story.
Category: Navy
Looks like the dentists should find out the whole tooth about this
We’ll get to the root of the problem.
Understandably, they’re a little down in the mouth at the moment.
It’s time for these dentists to stop jawing and extract themselves from this abscess.
Looks like there was a nasty cavity in records keeping!
We simply fixed the glitch!
The Bobs moved over to the Navy.
It will work itself out naturally. Problem solved from Navy’s end.
Funny, all these “smart people”–Aviators, doctors, and such–with degrees and wearing officer rank are suddenly finding out that simple math is just that–simple math. There’s no BOGO when it comes to military service, or at least there shouldn’t be. I wish I got to cut a year or two off for retirement purposes because I spent two years working average 100-hour weeks as a Drill Sergeant.
Even funnier: this is being “discovered” now that military services are hurting for qualified personnel. “Take the money and run” was the rallying cry for many, especially officers that could count on nice retirement checks and a fat resume based on their military service. Suddenly, math factors in and those years of credited service are taken back.
Did my 21 years, often busting my ass for the Army but admittedly enjoying the hands-off COVID teleworking days during my last couple of years. I never even thought about having “concurrent” or “credited” service. For me, it was always about doing the 20+, retiring, and becoming a mere memory for those I have the honor of serving with.
Except they were told differently, in writing, from the chain of command.
Plenty of credited service language out there in other Federal jobs.
Hey, about we take away your pension and make you work 35 years for it like the private sector? Oh, poor baby, quit your whining.
But…but…you promised…in writing.
Yup, it’s a BOHICA moment. I didn’t do more than read this blog post, so my apologies if I missed something and over-generalized. That said, there’s a big difference between the contracts I signed and the retirement plan my generation was guaranteed and a promise, in writing or not, from a chain-of-command. I’ve known plenty of Soldier’s who were promised the stars for a simple reenlistment and then had their commander or senior NCO move on with the incoming leader deciding not to honor the promise.
I spent time in the private sector before the Army, currently work in it now, and always have a backup plan, so while my pension is a nice source of additional income it’s not something I’d fret over if somehow the government reneged on honoring High-3 retirements. This former E1 turned retired E7 has little sympathy for officers given the shaft. It sucks, but it goes with the flow. All the DD4/1 contracts I helped write as both a Recruiter and Retention NCO clearly stated the number of years the Soldier was committing to. If there was a contractual agreement the officers in question have a legal hill to die on. If it was a “CPT Twerksalot hereby bounds LT Paidtoomuch to a five-year obligation with three years credited for a total of eight years” it’s a simple broken promise.
When I was in the reserves I kept track of every point and good year on the path to retirement. I still have that information just in case they call and tell me there is a ‘glitch’ or an accounting error.
Don’t throw away docs they give you.
That screenshot of all my points and qualifying years has a special place on my hard drive, and backup USB to accompany several physical copies as well.
“My bad!”
DOD
Notification:
“Hey Chief, I know you retired last year and all, but due to
the corrupt, weak, woke, and awful leadership resulting in godawful retention and recruitingan error we’re going to need you to come back for a few more years.”My response:
“HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“No”
I may sound like a hypocrite with my statement below, but here it goes:
I think Retirment should be equal. Serve 20 and retire. Regardless of rank or job. However, if they made a special deal, to get a special professional in, I understand that. Now, the military, across-the-board, is failing to meet recruiting goals. If they keep going back on their word, they’ll never meet those goals. Lying, cheating, shoving alternative life styles down the throats of service people, ignoring certain religious preferences while catering to others, kicking people out over tattoos and then changing the regs making the “offense” acceptable, forcing untested vaccinations on people- just to tow the party line, etc, etc, etc.
If the military is to remain an honorable profession, we are going to have to have trust. Both up and DOWN the chain of command. Trust seems to be dwindling!
Army’s doing it to aviators, Navy’s doing it to dentists and docs.
Think these “paperwork errors” might have something to do with recruiting and retention being in the toilet and flushing fast?
Pretty soon those 4 and 4 enlistments will be a thing of the past and it’ll be just a straight 8 active duty contract.
Sounds a lot like Darth “I’m altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it further” Vader HR technique.
My son enlisted for 6/2 AD. It was worth it though. Now at the halfway point now I am pretty confident he will leave right at six. The money simply isn’t there even though he is getting ready to pin on sergeant. I’m still proud of him for serving.
This sums up the situation nicely.
They can’t recruit or retain for shit right now, thus they whip the Big Green Weenie®️™️ out and use it on everyone they can!
We’re short, f*ck you. (Needs of the service, you know.)
Nice back door stop loss.