What I'd like to know if how long one can keep earning good years in the IRR. Anyone else been pursuing this avenue and, if so, how long before being told you need to go SELRES or get out? Can you make it to 20 via IRR and NKO courses if you bag 50 points per year?
Typically, as long as you're getting at least 27 points per year in the IRR and haven't yet reached 20 "good years" (i.e. 20 years with at least 50 points per year to qualify for retirement) you'll be allowed to stay in the IRR. Obviously, if you're taking correspondence courses while in the IRR, you should make an effort to get to 50 points per year to make good years. Otherwise, you're not getting the years you need for retirement, and if you do eventually qualify for retired pay with 20 good years, the points you earned in years when you got less than 50 points will count only towards the rate of retirement pay (at approximately 50 cents per point per month in retirement pay for an O-5 over 22). If you earn less than 27 points per year while in the IRR (in BUPERS speak, a "27 point failure") several years running, BUPERS is
supposed to invite you to leave the IRR and accept S2 status (standby reserve-inactive) as a step towards eventually leaving the naval service.
If, after getting 20 good years and qualifying for retirement pay, you choose to remain in the IRR, you are
supposed to earn at least 50 points per year. Otherwise, BUPERS is
supposed to send you a letter giving you the option to either submit a retirement request or apply for a waiver to earn 50 points in the current anniversary year. If you do neither, BUPERS is
supposed to place you in S2 status pending an eventual transfer to retired status.