Release from Active Duty Advice

[navyeho25]

I am hoping someone has been through this process and can give some advice!

I am considering separating after 6 years in the Navy on Active Duty. I want my last month to be February 2017. I am going to submit my RAD in January, but am worried the COC will change the date to earlier/later.

Questions:
1. How can I make sure my paperwork gets signed by my COC and to PERS in a timely manner?
2. How long does it take for the orders to come back from PERS?
3. Can the COC change the date of release?
4. What exactly am I supposed to say about IRR? Do I not get my DD214 until this is complete?

Thanks for the help! I have a lot of stress because timelines are important. Plus my admin office and COC have not been helpful.

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[Gastrapathy]

Look at the PERS website for separations. Off the top of my head, you have to submit 9-12 months out. The process is slow but it happens. You get a separation month from PERS and the day is picked at the command level. Don't worry about reserves. No one on AD cares. You get your DD214 on the day you start terminal leave.

 

[j4pac]

I'm in the same situation and trying to separate this July to start civilian residency.

PERS-834F is the division that is responsible for writing the orders for Honorable Officer Resignations. My paperwork was submitted to them in June. They finally got it on their desk in September...where it has been in a huge stack of papers ever since. I called their office a few times...no luck. I've emailed their office...no luck. I faxed their office with a request to call me...and it worked. The guy on the other end of the line assured me that it would get done before my proposed separation date, but at this time they are currently working on the prior quarter's packages. I'm not going to sweat it at this point. I'll probably try calling/emailing/faxing again sometime in the spring if I don't have my orders by then.

 

[bricktamland]

I dropped my papers yesterday , planning to separate next Oct (I decided to take the last ISP bonus) and then immediately start my fellowship. Fortunately, my fellowship program is flexible and granted me an off-cycle start date. I have to say it feels great to have the end in sight. Now I'm just focusing on keeping the senor-itis at bay.

Back to the OP's questions:

1/2: My local admin office told me that once the CO has signed off on the paperwork, it will be mailed to PERS and I should expect to receive correspondence in 4 - 6 weeks. You can check with your local admin office to make sure they mailed it out. After that point, if 6 weeks go by you haven't heard anything, that would be a good time to contact PERS and get a status update.

3. I'm not 100% certain, but I don't believe the CO can change the separation month, but he/she may have the power to alter the day within the month. . . . for example, maybe you'd like to separate on July 1st but your replacement won't arrive until July 15th, so the CO might extend your separation date out until July 31st. Maybe someone can correct me on that. . . .

4. Your total of AD + IRR must equal 8 years. So in your case, if you've only done 6 years AD, I believe you will still owe 2 more years in the IRR.

Speaking of IRR, does anyone know if you retain a military ID card in the IRR? And if so, does it grant base access? I will have fulfilled my entire AD/IRR time, but I might be willing to stay in the IRR if I can hold on to the ID card and shop at the NEX, get free access to national parks, stay at military hotels, etc. I'm also still contemplating the IRR retirement scenario, though the whole process remains kind of nebulous to me.

 

[j4pac]

I remember being able to have an ID card for the inactive reserves while HPSP in med school. You don't get the other benefits, but I do think that you can get commissary/exchange. It's a question I'll ask at TAPS next week.

As an addendum to my prior post...PERS-834F has the ability to write your orders asap, however, the budget will dictate when the message gets sent. It recently has been about 3-4 months prior to separation. I'm separating in July, so I can expect to get orders April-May time period. Don't sweat it though because they can very quickly write your orders for you if you are in the appropriate fiscal quarter. What IS important is getting your request submitted to your CO...having your admin department send it off to PERS...and getting the correspondence that PERS has received your package.