Instructions are below.
My personal timeline was signing a contract in January, correcting a mistake in late Feb, and BCP and IP starting with my March BAs.
It really wasn't all that difficult, given how difficult AMEDD can make stuff.
Also, you get paid for your IP&BSP on a separate LES, approximately 2 weeks after your BA pay hits your bank account. After you get paid for your BA, the 'system' validates your eligibility and authorizes a second payment.
This is a copy/paste from APMC Dec Newsletter:
Incentive Pay (IP) / Board Certified Pay (BCP):
IP and BCP program is now online thru the Reserve Incentives Management
Sub-System (RIMS). IP and BCP is professional specialty pay for AMEDD officers similar to pays such as airborne pay, flight pay, drill sergeant pay, etc. It is linked to the medical specialty and not to the Critical Wartime Shortage List (CWSL) and thus almost every AMEDD clinical specialty may be eligible. The budget shortfall of the other incentive programs (bonus, loan repayment, and stipend) does not impact IP/BCP.
***very important*** In order to begin receiving this special pay, the officers are required to have an approved active contract in RIMS. The initial contract cannot be for less than one year and once approved, it remains active until the officer permanently loses eligibility. Eligibility is continuously validated by the system and there is no annual requirement to reenter a contract. IP and BCP disbursements are in effect 1 January 2020 forward. No retroactive pay is authorized. The RCMS Request Incentive self-service URL is:
https://selfservice.rcms.usar.army.mil/Selfservice/RequestIncentive
I have heard that website has been offline intermittently the last couple of months.
Who really knows why, but the stated reason is always COVID.
