OP: this is very agency dependent.
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Retiring/separating reserve officers who transitioned to GS
- Thread starter Buffmeyer
- Start date
Agree. Mine is DoD 4th estate with about half of the workforce active duty. My experience at other non-DoD agencies was very different.
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I'll echo what others have said already, it is very agency or even office and often location dependent. In DC there is a bit of grade inflation, some agencies being more generous than others, while in Dayton or San Antonio there isn't as much.
You'll have to be more specific. The only time you 'have to' combine retirements is if you buy back an active duty retirement, giving it up for the federal civil service one and that doesn't make any sense except in rare circumstances. As a reservist though you do not have to give up your retirement to buy into the civil service retirement system, they function concurrently and you effectively get double credit for your reserve time in the civil service. For reservists, here are the rules (page 6-6):
In the Reserves this would include active duty for training but not weekly or monthly assemblies or drills. National Guard duty must be active duty in the service of the United States under title 10, United States Code, or under a call by the President or Secretary of Defense. National Guard service or training under the call of the Governor of a State or performed for a State under title 32, United States Code, is not creditable
If you are looking to get credit for your ADT's and other active orders HR usually takes copies of your orders or LES's as proof.
The same rule above applies for leave purposes, your active duty time as a military seperatee (not a retiree though) counts for GS leave purposes. You spent 4 years on active duty? You get 6 hours of leave per pay period.
As a military active duty retiree though the only time creditable is "credit for active duty uniformed service is limited to service in the armed forces during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized". HR usually takes campaign medal citations and orders for that.
As for what the breakdown of the leave accruals, here are the numbers I've always seen:
1-2.999 years - 4 hours per pay period = 13 days a year
3-14.999 years - 6 hours per pay period = 20 days a year
15 years or more -8 hours per pay period = 26 days a year
Scope of responsibility, who you deal with on a routine basis, agency, and location all play a part in what the GS level for a position is (fish biologist in iowa vs flag staff action officer at the pentagon). Recent paystubs can help you negotiate steps above so you're not losing money. Although it helps to remember that HR takes into account the value of the pension and benefits package vs industry (or put another way, expect HR to expect you to take a paycut or equivalent).
Since annual leave (not sick leave) has a use or lose limit, I think negotiating for 8 hours vs. 6 hours might not be worth it. By using Federal holidays, admin leave, and comp leave smartly I'm on track to get close to the use or lose limit at the end of the year, which is only my 2nd year as a GS. Now, COVID definitely played a hand in my vacation plans, but I still took some days off.
Also, keep in mind some Agencies use pay scales other than GS, specifically so they can attract and retain talent in specific fields. I know tech is one of them. I would recommend casting a wide net in your search.
SELRES_AMDO
Well-Known Member
I left active duty and started in a GS 7/9/11 spot. It hurt going from active duty Officer to GS-7 step 1. Four years and 1 month later I became a GS-13. So the room for growth is there if you're willing to work for it.
That being said I had very little experience in the field and had no way of justifying anything higher than that. That answers your question of transitioning to an equivalent pay grade. Are you using your Reserve rank to justify the GS grade or your civilian job?
That being said I had very little experience in the field and had no way of justifying anything higher than that. That answers your question of transitioning to an equivalent pay grade. Are you using your Reserve rank to justify the GS grade or your civilian job?
Take some more leave! Don't lose it! Where I work they pretty much make you take it off vice losing it. That said, if you've maxed out what pay they'll give you and they're still willing to give you 8, take it! Days off that the man pays you for are great.
Most of the pay scales also have GS equivalencies so you can get a rough idea of how much you'll be making.
Oh don't worry, I plan to use it!
Buffmeyer
Member
That is great to hear that you got your foot in the door and moved up to where you were content. It sounds like your experience has been net-positive. I have had one friend be very real with me about other things, like political landmines, gridlock, and differences among locations e.g. D.C. vs Washington State, Hawaii, midwest, Cali, OCONUS etc. I'm not counting on a fast-track progression but I don't want to feel deadlocked either. I guess it's good that you can always be looking for your next gig. Have contracted here and there before with mixed results.
Re your question: I think I know where you are going with that. If someone were to say they were using reserve rank to justify the GS grade, I see that's a not-so-great way of starting the conversation, especially for someone who is not very smooth (me) and could make one sound like a tool. However there's the aspect in e.g. ctr recruitment where they try to fish out what your previous salary was and negotiate from there. (Remember from TAP class the whole chapter about avoiding what your desired salary is but, "I hope to earn a salary commensurate with my experience etc.") So highlight one's scope of responsibility, reliability, and experience. I've accumulated some certs which are resume fodder but don't make me the grandmaster by any means, in contrast to the segment of people who have A-Z listed after their name in their LinkedIn profiles. I think humility and willingness to work hard and to demonstrate your potential as a team player, like people alluded to above, are important. And then there's networking. It's all a tricky business, but I'd like to remain around the military.
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To be clear here, all federal jobs (GS) are set in rank (7/9/11 and so on) before they are posted. The hiring agency works with OPM who set the grade based on a number of factors. If you are applying for a GS-9 tech job there is no work around or negotiation to become a GS-11 techie on hiring. Yes, you can get a better "step," but sometimes even that is limited. Personally...I am kind of a dick...I won't negotiate for pay increases if I have three or more fully qualified candidates because the job is the job. If you want greater recognition and free fruit, go apply to Apple or Goggle, all I can offer is a pension and the occasional "time in service" certificate.
I also advise that you read the veteran rules closely. They have been a god-send for me as a job candidate and the same can be said for some of the people I have hired. Others expect too much from the rules and misinterpret their meaning, but a good hiring official can sort through the single most important metric...are you "fully qualified?"
There isn't much "game" to be played. Have your resume ready and stored in USAJOBS (keep it updated) and MAKE SURE you note the number of hours worked per week (yes, even for the military...just say 40+). Apply for any job you think you are qualified for because if nothing else, it is free. On the questionnaire always mark yourself as an "expert" but always be ready with a very good example of how you are an expert (if you have written an OER bullet point or two you can do this). The rest is agency need.
If you can afford it, work where you want to be. D.C. has the most jobs and most opportunity, but it can be soulless. You can always apply to a new job once you are in the door. In my case, I love, love, love the National Park Service, and loved working for them, but I simply couldn't advance (they like to say they pay you in "sunrises"), so, I jumped and moved and made it to where I feel like a valued professional. If I could find an NPS job at my current grade I would jump again!
Good luck in your search and keep in mind there are a lot of good people here who have blazed the trail for you. Keep asking their advice.
I also advise that you read the veteran rules closely. They have been a god-send for me as a job candidate and the same can be said for some of the people I have hired. Others expect too much from the rules and misinterpret their meaning, but a good hiring official can sort through the single most important metric...are you "fully qualified?"
There isn't much "game" to be played. Have your resume ready and stored in USAJOBS (keep it updated) and MAKE SURE you note the number of hours worked per week (yes, even for the military...just say 40+). Apply for any job you think you are qualified for because if nothing else, it is free. On the questionnaire always mark yourself as an "expert" but always be ready with a very good example of how you are an expert (if you have written an OER bullet point or two you can do this). The rest is agency need.
If you can afford it, work where you want to be. D.C. has the most jobs and most opportunity, but it can be soulless. You can always apply to a new job once you are in the door. In my case, I love, love, love the National Park Service, and loved working for them, but I simply couldn't advance (they like to say they pay you in "sunrises"), so, I jumped and moved and made it to where I feel like a valued professional. If I could find an NPS job at my current grade I would jump again!
Good luck in your search and keep in mind there are a lot of good people here who have blazed the trail for you. Keep asking their advice.
I was a GS-12 dual status technician for years with the national guard. I bought back my active duty time in the Navy and one of my two guard deployments. I changed over to AGR in 2016 and am getting close to the end of my 5 year rehire rights. It is actually almost 6 years because rehire rights are extended for any deployments. Before my rights end, I will revert to GS-12 and buy back my AGR time and last deployment as well. During that rehire period, my step increases have continued, albeit at the 3 year intervals now.
Better than negotiating a step increase at the beginning, try to leverage a qualitative step increase (QSI) for your annual appraisal/award. This is particularly nice if you get it after the one year step increases. I managed to get one for step 4 to 5 and step 6 to 7. Better than the Jelly of the Month Club. It is the gift that keeps on giving. In a little over a year I'll be collecting a guard/reserve retirement with over 7200 points and GS-12 step 8 retirement at 23%.
Better than negotiating a step increase at the beginning, try to leverage a qualitative step increase (QSI) for your annual appraisal/award. This is particularly nice if you get it after the one year step increases. I managed to get one for step 4 to 5 and step 6 to 7. Better than the Jelly of the Month Club. It is the gift that keeps on giving. In a little over a year I'll be collecting a guard/reserve retirement with over 7200 points and GS-12 step 8 retirement at 23%.
When I received my Firm Offer as a GS-12 Step 1 (firm offer comes after Suitability, drug screen, and SSBI), there was a 5 day window to where I submitted supporting documentation and showed where my experience and skills exceeded the base requirements of the position. I made it as objective as possible and used quantified statements where my experience and accomplishments exceeded the scope, discretion, and judgement of the role - both in my case as a pilot/CFI and as a program/budget manager. I requested consideration for Step 7 (which I knew was a stretch). I was awarded Step 5 after review which took 3 business days. Its well worth the effort. There are a number of good gouge articles online regarding this process. Received an appointment date and revised firm offer and was off to the races.
Griz's advice is gold!
People will find these links helpful regarding FERS:
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/eligibility/
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/computation/
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/eligibility/
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/computation/