Collect final ISP bonus, but still separate in July?

[bricktamland]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm scheming up ways to have my cake and eat it too. I want to separate in early July 2016, immediately start a civilian fellowship, yet still collect my last ISP bonus. How? I am hoping to use 90 days of terminal leave. I'm trying to anticipate any potential contingencies with this plan.

Step 1:
I currently have about 75 days of leave saved up, so amassing the stockpile of leave won't be a problem. One issue on the horizon is that, as of now, Congress has set the maximum carryover for leave to return to 60 days starting Oct 1, 2015. That makes it a bit more challenging, but my plan is still doable. Basically, if I carryover the max 60 days of leave into fiscal year 2016, and I don't use a single day of leave during the year, I will acquire 30 more days, bringing my total to 90.

Step 2:
I need to get the CO to sign off on my plan. I'm "one of two" at my hospital, so with the other person there, staffing won't be a problem (the "I'll let you go when your replacement gets here" shouldn't be an issue). My EAOS is far to the right (Aug 31st 2016), so regardless of whether I take ISP or not, in order to leave in July, I would be relying heavily on terminal leave.

Step 3:
Starting fellowship on time. I don't see a way to squeeze any more time out this than these 90 days. Therefore, depending precisely on when I can officially check out, I may have to start fellowship a few days late. However, it should only be a matter of days, not weeks or months. I would think most fellowship programs could accommodate for delayed start of just a handful of days.

Can anyone see any problems with this plan? Has anyone pulled this off before? Things always get so tricky with the military, and I don't want to screw up the fellowship situation. I have to apply for fellowship next summer, so I want to have my ducks in a row as much as possible beforehand. Thanks for any input.

 

[colbgw02]

Can't remember what your branch is, but in the Army any leave longer than 30 days goes to the level of troop commander (battalion equivalent). It's theoretically possible, as you know, but just realize that there are probably more moving parts even as compared to ordinary leave, meaning there are a lot of ways they can mess up your plan.

Also, wouldn't you be a few days late anyway? Signing the bonus would add 92 days to your commitment, no? You wouldn't be able to sign out of your station until early July anyway. Maybe it's easier to just ask your fellowship to arrive a few weeks late and give your self some wiggle room.

Edited to add: I'll be starting a civilian fellowship in July 2015, but I've decided against signing my last ISP contract. The risk just seems too much for me.

 

[upchit]

FWIW, I routed a request for something similar and was told that for accountability, no leave more than 30 days would be approved. So, I routed 2 requests with one working day ( a weekend day) separating them. Still awaiting a signature. I figure I can fly back for the 1 weekend and work.

Also, make sure you get approval for "off duty" employment if your command has a policy because they could choose to be jerks and bust you for unauthorized off duty employment for fellowship. I routed that request before the leave request.

Godspeed, hope it works out.

 

[Gastrapathy]

They don't have to give you more than two weeks. Your CO now might not be in charge when the time comes and the new one could decide to screw you. Not much difference between Aug 31 and Oct 1 but either way, you may not start fellowship on time.

 

[Kilgoretrout 65]

Can't you do an 11 (or 9 or 10) month prorated ISP? Has anybody done that successfully?

 

[jabreal00]

There is no feasible way to work that. No they will not prorate it. I was able to get my bonuses realigned after I finished a military fellowship. I get my MASP on the 1st of July and my ISP on July 15th (the day I finished fellowship). That first year my ISP was prorated because I was still under contract for the ISP of my primary specialty. Terminal leave can get tricky. There is use or lose leave now. Before one could carry over large balances. Now if you don't use the excess leave, it disappears to the maximum you can hold. Secondly it's up to the whim of the commander to approve your leave. Prior to PCSing to fellowship I had a ton of leave. I took just under 30 days. It had to get approved by the hospital DCCS. Terminal leave may be different. However, if you are getting out in July, I don't see how you can swing it until October if you resign your ISP.

So I guess what I am saying is just take you MASP and forget the ISP, unless you don't mind starting fellowship in October.

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

I looked into this and I think there's no real, feasible way to make it work. MAYBE you could luck out with an overstaffed clinic and a CO that approves more than 30 days of leave, but I wouldn't rely on it. There's no way to know if it would work out a year in advance when you sign for your ISP. If you want to start a fellowship on time, I'd plan on taking the financial hit.

 

[bricktamland]

Thanks for the replies.

It seems there is a wide range of opinions about the maximum terminal leave one can take. 30 days is the most common response. But I've also heard 2 weeks, 45 days, 60 days. . . . etc. I can't find any instruction detailing the subject. Therefore, I conclude that the decision must be at the CO's discretion. I'm at a small hospital and work more closely with the hospital CO (as opposed to the MTF where I trained, where I don't think I even talked to the CO once). Assuming I maintain a good rapport with the CO, taking up to 90 days thus seems like a feasible plan, but then again, getting paid CME seemed like a feasible plan a few years ago . . . .

My ultimate goal is fellowship. The ISP money would be nice, especially when I'm looking at a reduced salary during the ensuing fellowship year, but it isn't a deal breaker. Approaching 10 years of service now, I've grown accustomed to a steady stream of disappointment. The loss of that last ISP bonus would merely represent the final carrot, in a series of many unfulfilled carrots, that they dangle before me and then yank away at the last second.

The biggest issue I have is my EAOS date of Aug 31st. This is a consequence of a delayed start to residency, thanks to my GMO time in 1st MarDiv, when I was basically sequestered until my replacement arrived (thanks for that final kick in the pants, 1stMarDiv!). I don't want to jeopardize the fellowship situation by starting late. Which means taking a minimum of 60 days terminal leave (and missing out on the ISP by 30 days).

The other option that is conceivable is to try to get my orders shortened my last year. I will be doing a 1 year extension to my 3 year orders. My specialty is overmanned. I might be able to get 9 or 10 month orders instead of the full year. I asked the detailer about this, and he said something to the effect, "it's possible but not common."

It's difficult to plan for any of these scenarios because I have to apply for fellowship 2 years out, long before I know if the CO and detailer and specialty leader, etc will buy off on any of these plans.

 

[IlDestriero]

When I was in, the command would not authorize more than 30 days of terminal leave unless you were retiring. I took 2 weeks of vacation, drove back from the beach to work one 8-3 shift and signed out on terminal leave. I was actually done around noon.🙂 They were fine with that.
I also couldn't take the bonus because of fellowship, it sucks. They were willing to wait for me, and I did take time off before starting, but I was concerned that if I pushed it off into October, with some relocation time as well at the end, it might affect my job prospects. Most people enter the market in July, and I didn't want to potentially lose an offer because a group could not be that flexible.