Prior Service Career Change

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lilbean05

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Hi everyone--
I am actually doing some research for my hubbie and I have lots and lots of questions...

My husband is an O-3 in the AF with 6 years of service come next month. He got his undergrad and MS degrees at highly reputable engineering schools and works as a flight test engineer as a 61A (Scientist). He is at a point in his career where he is trying to decide if he should continue down this path of unrated officer into the realm of SPOs and aquisitions or if he should perhaps break off in a different direction and get his MD so that he can continue in the AF in the medical profession.

So, I started my search to first see if there was any time in service limit or age limit and what any prereqs there were and I found myself delving into this website and learning much much more about the whole system. I was under the INITIAL impression (assumption on my part, really) that if he were accepted, he would be keep his time in service and rank and all of that jazz. Seems like that isn't the case? I can see that everyone is made a butter bar, but perhaps the pay is the same? Moreover, the whole time towards retirement is throwing me for a loop...how does that work? If he ends up starting school with 9 years in just after making O-4, can you please explain to me what happens with his rank, pay-grade, and how that will effect retirment? Do those 4 years of school not really count, so he is more on a leave of absense? Hmmm...

My next biggest question is that it seems many people aren't thrilled with the whole gig. Are hours just nutty (as an FTE, he works odd hours for 12+ hours some days, so it might just be the military)? What are the promotion rates? How does one decide (or the decision made for you) what your specility will be? Finally, do you deploy A LOT?

Lots of questions---trying to decide if this is a good idea, or if it might be best to just try the whole med school thing as a second career as a civilian.

Thank you so very much!

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So, I started my search to first see if there was any time in service limit or age limit and what any prereqs there were and I found myself delving into this website and learning much much more about the whole system. I was under the INITIAL impression (assumption on my part, really) that if he were accepted, he would be keep his time in service and rank and all of that jazz. Seems like that isn't the case? I can see that everyone is made a butter bar, but perhaps the pay is the same? Moreover, the whole time towards retirement is throwing me for a loop...how does that work? If he ends up starting school with 9 years in just after making O-4, can you please explain to me what happens with his rank, pay-grade, and how that will effect retirment? Do those 4 years of school not really count, so he is more on a leave of absense? Hmmm...

My next biggest question is that it seems many people aren't thrilled with the whole gig. Are hours just nutty (as an FTE, he works odd hours for 12+ hours some days, so it might just be the military)? What are the promotion rates? How does one decide (or the decision made for you) what your specility will be? Finally, do you deploy A LOT?

Lots of questions---trying to decide if this is a good idea, or if it might be best to just try the whole med school thing as a second career as a civilian.

Thank you so very much!
Wow, lots of questions. Let's see if I can answer a few.
1. I don't know what the age limit is but there are wavers for those that practically make it non-existant.

2. Your husbands' rank wont carry over. If he takes the HPSP scholorship or goes to USUHS, he will revert back to O-1 but his time in service will count towards pay. After graduation he will be advanced to O-3 and he will get credit for his prior commissioned service in a 2 years to 1 year credit towards advancement.

Example: If he served 8 years as a commissioned officer, he will get credit for 4 towards advancement.

3. His prior service counts towards retirement but time in HPSP does not count towards retirement. Essentially after graduation, he will still have 9 years in and will be eligible for retirement after 20, unless he takes the USUHS deal and has a big payback and does a long residency (Then he will never get out :D).

4. Everyone here has there own reasons for liking or disliking military medicine. Read some more and you will find them out.

5. Promotion is pretty much automatic until you get to 0-5 (I believe).

6. You decide for yourself what flavor of doc you want to be. Some specialties are more competetive than others.

7. Deployment depends on where you are stationed.

I hope this helps. Good luck
 
2. Your husbands' rank wont carry over. If he takes the HPSP scholorship or goes to USUHS, he will revert back to O-1 but his time in service will count towards pay. After graduation he will be advanced to O-3 and he will get credit for his prior commissioned service in a 2 years to 1 year credit towards advancement.

Example: If he served 8 years as a commissioned officer, he will get credit for 4 towards advancement.

His rank actually will carry over...kind of. The new law makes it so he retains his rank for pay purposes while at USUHS and while on active duty training each year while participating in HPSP. That is a pretty huge perk of being prior service. BAH however will be paid at the 0-1 rank regardless.
 
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Thanks for your responses--

So, if he is an O-4 when he starts school, does he go back to being an O-4 after graduation, or does he get demoted to an O-3?
 
Thanks for your responses--

So, if he is an O-4 when he starts school, does he go back to being an O-4 after graduation, or does he get demoted to an O-3?
He will be an 0-3 with 9 years in and 4 1/2 years towards 0-4 (assuming he has 9 years in when he starts school).
 
elderjack,

Can you tell me where this new law is written? I'm a Navy HPSP medst III, former USAF 0-3 aviation type, and I have not hear anything about this. I'd like to know if they owe me some back pay or if it's going to apply to all of the branches. Thanks for any help in this matter.

new2navy
 
elderjack,

Can you tell me where this new law is written? I'm a Navy HPSP medst III, former USAF 0-3 aviation type, and I have not hear anything about this. I'd like to know if they owe me some back pay or if it's going to apply to all of the branches. Thanks for any help in this matter.

new2navy

This change was included in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Navy's interpretation is that the save pay only corresponds to Base Pay earned while on AT after 1 Jan 08. BAH will still be paid at the O-1 rate.
 
This change was included in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Navy's interpretation is that the save pay only corresponds to Base Pay earned while on AT after 1 Jan 08. BAH will still be paid at the O-1 rate.

So all the branches can interpret the NDAA differently? Awesome. I wonder where I can find the army's interpretation on it.

Hopefully it is at least the same to what the Navy has decided.
 
This change was included in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Navy's interpretation is that the save pay only corresponds to Base Pay earned while on AT after 1 Jan 08. BAH will still be paid at the O-1 rate.
Soooo, do we still get paid the higher rate if our prior service time was in a service different from our current service (e.g., prior USAF, current USN)?
 
Soooo, do we still get paid the higher rate if our prior service time was in a service different from our current service (e.g., prior USAF, current USN)?

Yes, as long as the HPSP office has a copy of your DD214.
 
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