So, brief nuggets having just done this:
-Everything about letters is old gouge. Everything is via NSIPS now. If you’re the first Officer doing a regular resignation from your command on this system, expect growing pains as people have to be assigned roles in NSIPS. Once it leaves your reporting senior, Millington seemed to move quickly.
-For date planning, you need to work forward your expected accrued leave days in order to find a separation month. Officer resignation seps (different than FOS and retirements) can be any day or the month. Your orders are written for a month, but your last day can be 1-31 as long as you have leave days to make it work (more on than in a second)
-It’s in your financial benefit to maximize terminal leave as those days pay out with BAH, BAS, and Flight Pay. Selling back leave is base pay only.
-For OCONUS, ensure you’ve done TGPS and Separation physical there and have all the paperwork done. Ideally your admin dept will ensure you’ve got all the paperwork, but PM me if you want to know what TPU wants.
-Allso for OCONUS, you’ll be sent back to a stateside separation activity (probably TPU San Diego for Japan, I did Norfolk for Bahrain). Flight via rotator if that’s a thing, otherwise comm air. Stay in the Navy Lodge or NGIS. TPU will check you in, collect your paperwork for PSD, and get you on leave as soon as your leave days allow. Expect a minimum of a week here if your paperwork is good. Longer if you need to fix stuff. Very simple mustering while you wait. At the end you’ll get flown to your home of record or mileage to same. Travel claim once you reach your destination for TPU TAD time. Oh and having a car would help, don’t know if you sold everything going to Japan or not.
-With regards to leaving your command, you’ll need to do the legwork on timelines and negotiate with your front office. Ideally, you submit for a month that gives you ample time to checkout, do TPU, then maximize your terminal dates. This may involve gapping your billet, so they may balk. Worst case you leave midway through your ordered month, do a short fused TPU, and have to sell back a bunch of leave, leaving possibly thousands on the table. Important to work the likely timeline early and often with your chain of command. I left three months before my separation month to take 57 days of terminal, but that’s not guaranteed.
-Reserve affiliation preference happens in that NSIPS form, and the Career Transition Officer will contact you and do the necessary paperwork. I’d recommend doing this no matter what for the TAMP benefits. You probably won’t take the bonus (10k for 3 years) to ensure you’re a free agent, but I plan on at least kicking the NOSC tires for a softer landing. I heard South Field wants helo IPs as well, so don’t sleep on CNATRA either. Of note, for TAMP, there can be no break in service (i.e. last AD day the 15th, reserves start 16th). I’m super new to the reserve game, so I don’t have a lot on this yet.
-Don’t be surprised if your last FITREP is meh, but if your boss is going to help his average with you, make sure it’s noted in Block 42. Depending on timeline, seems most people get detachment of individual plus a Letter or Extension to their last AD day. Engage with your Admin department on that.
-DD214s are all done by PSD and electronically signed in NSIPS. No more sitting with the clerks at PSD. On the plus side you can call them, and they do a lot of these so they (generally) don’t miss small stuff that a boat admin department might mess up. eSign with a CAC reader from home on terminal.
-I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that coming back to a cush shore job and doing separation from there would’ve been 10x easier. I don’t know what OBLISERV is from OCONUS Sea to CONUS Shore, but you could theoretically do a touch and go of less than a year. If you’ve got to time build anyway, that might be a better option than trying to cram it all into a few weeks before starting at a regional. I also don’t have kiddos, just a spouse and dogs, and we’re leaning on family for the transition.
It’s a daunting process, so don’t feel bad for asking questions. Feel free to PM.
