when does military life begin

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iatrosB

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Can anyone tell me when you officially become a member of the military if you are going to the USUHS? What I mean is, when do you start getting paid and when can you move to MD? I heard that they will pay for your move, do you move early summer or mid summer?
 
iatrosB said:
Can anyone tell me when you officially become a member of the military if you are going to the USUHS? What I mean is, when do you start getting paid and when can you move to MD? I heard that they will pay for your move, do you move early summer or mid summer?

The day you arrive at COT/OIS/OBC you are on active duty, technically I guess the travel day going to its location you are on active duty also. You will begin receiving your pay while at the course. You will move after your officer training. There is about a 2-3 week gap between graduation from your officer course and the start of orientation at USUHS, this time is used for moving/getting settled in. A lot of people come out on their own dime to look for a place in the early summer. The military does pay for your moving expenses but only after you come onto active duty.
 
tman said:
The day you arrive at COT/OIS/OBC you are on active duty, technically I guess the travel day going to its location you are on active duty also. You will begin receiving your pay while at the course. You will move after your officer training. There is about a 2-3 week gap between graduation from your officer course and the start of orientation at USUHS, this time is used for moving/getting settled in. A lot of people come out on their own dime to look for a place in the early summer. The military does pay for your moving expenses but only after you come onto active duty.

The above is absolutely correct, however it is worth noting a couple of things:

1. The day you take your oath of office is your O1 date of rank, and the day you officially "join". You may not be on active duty at that time though...

2. You may contact your servicing transportation office and start making move arrangements just as soon as you get your orders.

HTH,
 
Exactly. There's date of rank, which is your commissioning date and date entered active duty, which depends on what your orders say. Depending on how far you have to drive to your first duty station, you will probably enter active duty up to a week before your reporting date. It could potentially be important to know, because if you pull out of your driveway after entering active duty and get in an accident, your health care is covered. It's also important because they're always asking you on forms and crap 🙂
 
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