Entry Level Separation from Air Force to Navy Officer

[Snack Attack]

Seeking knowledge of process for an Entry Level Separation from the Air Force Reserve so that I could join the Navy as an Officer.


Question: How long does a E.L.S or 368 take to complete? My Naval Officer Recuiter and I have been waiting for 8 months for my "discharge" to go through from the Air Force Reserve. Is this normal? What can I do?


Back Story:

I knew I wanted to join the military after college...however my brother had gotten in a fatal accident at the time and became paralyzed so I knew the best option for me was to go Reserves so that I could stay in my hometown and care-give for him yet still serve. I signed up too soon and Joined the Air Force Reserves without really considering other options.
My BMT date was supposed to be 7 months out.

In those 7 months so much changed...

My brother healed incredibly and became way more independent, he is still paralyzed but has moved to an accessible home near my parents and other family members who can help in case of emergencies. He has also expressed to me that he would like to live by himself to adjust to his new life, that he does not want to depend on anyone. I received my brothers blessing in pursuing my military career ambitions even in his state. My big problem now is that I am stuck and belong with the USAFR even though I want more out of life and I want to fully immerse myself in the military. I'd like to serve as an Officer full-time and make a career out of it.
I learned in those months about officer programs and spoke to a Naval Officer recruiter who informed be about the lifestyle and commitment it requires.
It's honestly what I want to pursue and this is the way I want to serve.

My Naval Officer Recruiter is willing to work with me but he can't process me in since I still belong to the Air Force. I took the oath and signed my name, everything is official however, that is not where my heart is now. It was a decision that I should have waited on and thought about more carefully.


My Naval Officer recruiter tried submitting a 368 for me about 3 times but the paperwork has gotten nowhere. Every time I call my Air Force recruiter, they say it is processing... however I reached out to another air force collegue that handles discharges and that type of paperwork and she said my paperwork was not filed.

I then submitted the 368 to her and she mentioned that a 368 is temporary for 90 days and that an Entry Level Separation would be best but would take about 3 weeks to process due to needing to get different signatures.

I agreed to the E.L.S. but 3 months have passed now and my Naval Officer recruiter and myself haven't heard anything back.

We have both emailed her last month and I have called her this past week but there is no response.
I'm stuck and feel that I'm wasting so much time waiting.

I know it's my fault and I've wasted the Air Force recruiter/personnel's time with all this paperwork and processing so I kinda of deserve this but even though I'm backing out and joining another branch, I'm still trying to serve in the U.S. Military and we are on the same team.

How long does a E.L.S. normally take? I'm starting to think I am being put on the back burner on purpose. Is there anything I can to do or someone I can reach out to for help in this situation to process my paper work sooner? What is the worse case scenario?

 

[Spekkio]

ELS is typically an administrative discharge that is not quite honorable, but not OTH. It is a discharge method within 180 days of swearing in for when the member is deemed unfit for service - whether that's medical, disciplinary, or performance.

An ELS usually occurs after going to an ADSEP board, which has to be initiated for one of the reasons above. No one in your chain of command can process you out via ELS just because.

I doubt you remain eligible for a commissioning program with an ELS.

Someone is giving you bad advice.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

First and foremost, tons of details missing, but playing the devil’s advocate there’s a solid chance the Air Force denies your conditional release. You signed a contract for them and they’ll probably want some sort of return on investment before letting you go.

You should have put more consideration into the Navy when you were considering the service in the first place.

 

[taxi1]

So are you actually serving in the USAFR now? Have you had this conversation with your CO? Not clear from your post.

 

[Brett327]

If you’re currently serving in the USAFR, why would you be dealing with your USAF recruiter on this? No longer their problem. Agree with the other comments. You should be dealing with your current CO. I understand the desire to go full time active duty. You may have better luck doing that with the USAF. In what capacity are you currently serving? Have you received any specialized training that you may owe time for? Need more info.

 

[RedFive]

I agree with the requests above for additional info, but I'll throw another question on the pile: Why not rush an USAFR squadron and try to get picked up to pilot training that way?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

ELS is typically an administrative discharge that is not quite honorable, but not OTH. It is a discharge method within 180 days of swearing in for when the member is deemed unfit for service - whether that's medical, disciplinary, or performance.

An ELS usually occurs after going to an ADSEP board, which has to be initiated for one of the reasons above. No one in your chain of command can process you out via ELS just because.

I doubt you remain eligible for a commissioning program with an ELS.

Someone is giving you bad advice.

ELS can cover quite a bit, seen it for a person arriving sick to boot camp or OCS, injury early on at boot camp/OCS, pre-existing condition upon arrival at boot camp/OCS, and much more. It really all depends on the specific circumstance, I have put several ELS back into the service during both my recruiting tours.

Example of ELS not getting back in would be lying on any forms.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

First and foremost, tons of details missing, but playing the devil’s advocate there’s a solid chance the Air Force denies your conditional release. You signed a contract for them and they’ll probably want some sort of return on investment before letting you go.

You should have put more consideration into the Navy when you were considering the service in the first place.

There is quite a bit of info missing, I think if reading right that the OP hasn't yet gone to boot camp (BMT?) and was already supposed to go. If that is the case might be why still dealing with the air force recruiter?

 

[Slingblade]

Good to hear that your brother is recovering from his "fatal accident".

 

[FinkUFreaky]

I'm torn as to whether it's appropriate to laugh at ^^. I did laugh though.

 

[Snack Attack]

Good to hear that your brother is recovering from his "fatal accident".

I should have put "Major" accident instead of "Fatal".... but he is real lucky to be alive. He will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life due to breaking his spine (T8) and shortly after the time of the accident he could barely do anything himself due to having broken ribs and a broken clavicle. He healed incredibly in 8 months and can now shower himself, transfer to his bed, transfer into and from his car and drive using hand controls. I'd say he is about 90% independent now compared to the the beginning where it would literally take him 15-20 minutes to slide on his pants with one arm and couldn't transfer out of the bed without my help.

 

[Snack Attack]

First and foremost, tons of details missing, but playing the devil’s advocate there’s a solid chance the Air Force denies your conditional release. You signed a contract for them and they’ll probably want some sort of return on investment before letting you go.

You should have put more consideration into the Navy when you were considering the service in the first place.

I agree, I failed to do my research on different ways I could serve before signing. I just jumped at the opportunity too quickly



Do you think a 368 would be best instead of asking for an ELS then? My Naval Officer Recruiter says I can get the application going with the Navy and if I get accepted into a commissioning program then I can submit paperwork to my CO ( or someone on the Air Force side) asking for permission to transfer in with them.


Since an ELS is looked down upon, I'm thinking of going that route then... What are your thoughts? What missing details do you need?

Thank you for taking the time to read and answer my questions.

 

[Snack Attack]

ELS is typically an administrative discharge that is not quite honorable, but not OTH. It is a discharge method within 180 days of swearing in for when the member is deemed unfit for service - whether that's medical, disciplinary, or performance.

An ELS usually occurs after going to an ADSEP board, which has to be initiated for one of the reasons above. No one in your chain of command can process you out via ELS just because.

I doubt you remain eligible for a commissioning program with an ELS.

Someone is giving you bad advice.

Thank you for this information. I definitely want to remain eligible for commissioning so I guess I will have to find another way around this.

What are your thoughts on the DD 368? If seems like this will be the best choice so that I remain eligible, from what I have read online and from speaking to the Naval Officer recruiter, this form , if approved, can allow me to apply and possibly switch into another branch of the military. In my case AFR to USN.


(Just the provide more information)* I have not gone to BMT, I have not been given an assignment, I have not gone to drill. When I told my USAFR recruiter about my decision in pursuing a career with the Navy, we then unscheduled the BMT shipping date and I haven't heard from any one since then. I'm kind of in limbo. I do not know who my commanding officer is. I technically belong to the USAFR but no one has reached out to me and I haven't rescheduled a BMT with them since I'm trying to commission with the USN.

This is definitely a unique case.

 

[Snack Attack]

So are you actually serving in the USAFR now? Have you had this conversation with your CO? Not clear from your post.

I wouldn't claim that I am serving since I have not done one single thing for them/us. The only thing I have done is signed and took the oath for joining the USAFR.
I have not gone to BMT, I have not been given an assignment, I have not gone to drill.
It was dumb for me to sign so soon without researching other methods of serving and without waiting at least a few months so see where I'd actually want to commit. When I told my USAFR recruiter about my decision in pursuing a full time career with the Navy, we then unscheduled the BMT shipping date in her office and I haven't heard from any one since then.
I'm kind of in limbo. I do not know who my commanding officer is. I technically belong to the USAFR but no one has reached out to me and I haven't rescheduled a BMT with them since I'm trying to commission with the USN.

So, no I am not serving with the USAFR but I belong to them and I have not had a conversation with my CO, I don't even know who they are.

 

[Snack Attack]

If you’re currently serving in the USAFR, why would you be dealing with your USAF recruiter on this? No longer their problem. Agree with the other comments. You should be dealing with your current CO. I understand the desire to go full time active duty. You may have better luck doing that with the USAF. In what capacity are you currently serving? Have you received any specialized training that you may owe time for? Need more info.

The USAFR recruiter is the only contact I knew so that is why I had been dealing with her. I don't know who my commanding officer is, I haven't gone to BMT nor received any benefits nor received any specialized training. My BMT shipping date was canceled after I told the USAFR that I actually wanted to commission with the Navy. Yes I apologized profusely for wasting her time. Yes, It was such a dumb move for me to act so suddenly without doing proper research.

Now I'm stuck waiting and trying to correct my mess and find a way to fix this so I appreciate all of your knowledge and input on my thread.