Army National Guard HPLRP Timing

[tradkeke]

Hello all,

I am currently an accepted medical student and have always wanted to serve in the military. At first I considered HPSP, but after reading the cautions on here I figured a civilian residency and the Guard after was my best best.

My question is: how does the timing of this work? I read you can take it as a PGY-3, so if I was doing a 6 years post graduation (5 year residency, 1 fellowship) so would I be receiving 40k payments starting then? Is that when my service/deploy-ability would start as well?

I am a little confused about how I can take it PGY-3, but read you are "undeployable" in residency? Why would the Army pay for my loans when they can't even deploy me?

Basically I'm just trying to figure out:

1. When the loan payments would take place.
2. When my commitment would be.

and also just a random question: Do you still get regular drill pay when taking programs like this and not get incentive pay? Or do you get no pay at all?

Thank you to all, sorry for what probably seem like very basic questions. I went straight to the Army website but couldn't find conclusive answers.

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[Mad Jack]

Hello all,

I am currently an accepted medical student and have always wanted to serve in the military. At first I considered HPSP, but after reading the cautions on here I figured a civilian residency and the Guard after was my best best.

My question is: how does the timing of this work? I read you can take it as a PGY-3, so if I was doing a 6 years post graduation (5 year residency, 1 fellowship) so would I be receiving 40k payments starting then? Is that when my service/deploy-ability would start as well?

I am a little confused about how I can take it PGY-3, but read you are "undeployable" in residency? Why would the Army pay for my loans when they can't even deploy me?

Basically I'm just trying to figure out:

1. When the loan payments would take place.
2. When my commitment would be.

and also just a random question: Do you still get regular drill pay when taking programs like this and not get incentive pay? Or do you get no pay at all?

Thank you to all, sorry for what probably seem like very basic questions. I went straight to the Army website but couldn't find conclusive answers.

Payback begins after residency.

Loan repayments should take place in the year in which you accrue your debt.

So if you took it in PGY-3, you would get paid 40k (30k after taxes) toward your debt. You would then have to repay 1 year per year of loan repayment per HPLRP year you took after you completed residency. Please correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

 

[notdeadyet]

The loan repayment occurs at the end of the arrangement.

For instance, if you sign HPLRP on April 1st, 2019, on April 1st, 2020, they will ask you for a bunch of printouts of your loan status. A few months later, they will reduce your loans by about $32k.

 

[tradkeke]

Thank you for the responses.

So is there any benefit to taking HPLRP during residency other than it lets your loans not accrue more interest? It seems you get the same benefits but are committed for longer.

Also is it 1 year per year of benefit or 1 year per benefit + 1 additional year? Say you only had 100k of loans , could you do a 3 year drill commitment plus 5 years IRR? Or is it a more rigid time frame where there is a minimum drilling commitment?

 

[deleted480308]

Thank you for the responses.

So is there any benefit to taking HPLRP during residency other than it lets your loans not accrue more interest? It seems you get the same benefits but are committed for longer.

Also is it 1 year per year of benefit or 1 year per benefit + 1 additional year? Say you only had 100k of loans , could you do a 3 year drill commitment plus 5 years IRR? Or is it a more rigid time frame where there is a minimum drilling commitment?

Minimum officer commission is 6yrs drilling.

Don’t sign any papers with anyone right now because you are not familiar enough yet with the terms

 

[notdeadyet]

So is there any benefit to taking HPLRP during residency other than it lets your loans not accrue more interest? It seems you get the same benefits but are committed for longer.

Also is it 1 year per year of benefit or 1 year per benefit + 1 additional year? Say you only had 100k of loans , could you do a 3 year drill commitment plus 5 years IRR? Or is it a more rigid time frame where there is a minimum drilling commitment?

I think you are misunderstanding HPLRP.

You do not accrue “obligation.” It is not like HPSP, STRAP, or MDSSP.

It is just a benefit. You sign up for it when eligible, then you get paid 1 year later. That’s it. You can leave at any time, you just don’t get the loan repayment if you don’t stick it out the full year (I.e., they do not pro-rate).

So if you have no obligation from STRAP or MDSSP, there is NO benefit to deferring HPLRP. Take it when you can. It doesn’t affect your MSO (Military Service Obligation), in which you typically owe the Army 6 drilling years (plus 2 years IRR). That starts when you commission regardless of what programs you take.

If you can take it as a PGY-3 (I.e. are in a Critical Warfare Specialty Shortage list, or whatever they’re calling it now) then take it.

The only reason you could/would not take it as soon as you can is if you were in payback mode (e.g. post-residency/fellowship) for MDSSP or STRAP. In that case, every year you take HPLRP is a year that doesn’t pay back your MDSSP or STRAP obligation.

 

[USCguy]

I think you have to be in the STRAP program to get HPLR while in residency; otherwise you would have to wait until out of residency to get it

 

[notdeadyet]

Good catch. I think you’re right.

 

[tradkeke]

I think you have to be in the STRAP program to get HPLR while in residency; otherwise you would have to wait until out of residency to get it

This answers my question. I was confused why they would give it PGY-3 just to get a non-deployable doc who isn't even done training, because you have to take STRAP.

Thank you, sir!