Launching
Your Reserve Career
Release from
Active Duty
As a USNR JAG
Lieutenant just released from active duty, what is my reserve
status?
USNR JAG
Lieutenants enter the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) upon release
from active duty. You are not required to drill. You can earn
"points" toward retirement in the IRR, by
correspondence courses and periods of annual training.
Will I be
considered for promotion while in the IRR?
Yes. You are on the
Reserve lineal list, whether you stay in the IRR or join a
Reserve unit. Promotion zones for the next fiscal year are
announced each December. The LT/LCDR JAG reserve selection board
meets in September. When in zone, your record -- active and
reserve -- goes before the board. You compete with all other IRR
and drilling Reserve JAGs in the zone, as well as those above
zone. If you stay in the IRR and
do not actively drill, you are at a disadvantage in selection for
promotion.
Becoming a Drilling Reservist
My civilian job
is very demanding. What requirements must I meet as a drilling
reservist?
As a rule, Reserve
drills last four hours. Four drills fill a typical drill weekend,
Saturday and Sunday, 0730-1630. You drill the equivalent of one
weekend a month (48 drills per fiscal year). In a pay billet, you
may also be required to accomplish two weeks of annual training
(AT) each fiscal year.
Am I paid
for drills?
Some JAG billets
are Selected Reserve "pay billets," where you are paid
for drills and annual training. Pay for one drill equals basic
pay for one active duty day, which means a day with two drills
merits pay for two active duty days. Annual training authorizes
day-for-day basic pay and allowances. When pay billets are not
available, you can fully participate in the Reserve and earn
retirement points by joining a VTU (Volunteer Training Unit),
which drills regularly like a Selected Reserve unit. During your
Reserve career, you may be in and out of pay status several times.
How do I change
from IRR status to drilling status?
Reserve recruiters
-- assigned at most reserve centers -- process transfers from IRR
to drilling status. Currently, most JAGs first join a VTU unit
and when a pay billet opens, they transfer to a pay unit.
How can I learn
about available JAG billets?
Contact the Staff
Judge Advocate for the appropriate regional readiness command.
The SJA is both counsel to the Readiness Commander and the JAG
program manager for the region. You can also contact the COs of
JAG reserve units. Both the active and reserve JAG directories
list these SJAs and COs.
Am I reimbursed
for travel to drills?
Travel from home to
drills is not reimbursed (unless specifically authorized by
orders). If you live over 50 miles from the drill site, you may
use Navy-paid "contract berthing", usually sharing a
hotel room with another reservist.
Where are drills
performed?
To the maximum
extent, JAG units drill on-site at their "gaining
command", the active duty command where unit members would
mobilize. Pay units may travel regularly for 4-day or 6-day
weekends. These extended weekends enable reservists to work
directly with active duty JAGs, while fulfilling drill
requirements for two or three months. In the future, more units
will have "flexible drills" where members drill during
the normal workweek for several days at a time.
Am I reimbursed
for travel to my gaining command for drills?
Travel away from
the Reserve Center to the gaining command for drills are
"IDTT" (inactive duty training/travel). Funded IDTT
includes reimbursement for travel. "No cost" IDTT does
not reimburse travel expenses, but a reservist is never required
to accept no-cost travel orders.
Am I limited to
billets in the region where I live?
No. If you will pay
for your own travel to the drill site, you can be considered for
any billet.
Earning Drill
Credit
If I
complete 20 "good" years in the Reserve, when do
retirement payments begin?
At age 60.
Full-time active duty time, of course, also counts toward
retirement.
What is a
"good" year for reserve retirement?
To have a
"good" or "qualifying" year for retirement
purposes, you must earn at least 50 points during your
anniversary year.
Is my
anniversary year the same as a fiscal year?
No. Your
anniversary year starts on the day and month you first affiliated
with the Naval Reserve. If you have been USNR throughout your
career, this date will likely match your Pay Entry Base Date.
How do I earn
retirement points?
You receive 15
gratuitous points each year just for being in the Reserve. The
remaining minimum 35 points can be earned by: 1) drills (pay or
non-pay); 2) correspondence courses; or, 3) periods of active
duty (such as annual training). Each drill earns one point. One
day of active duty earns one point. Correspondence courses vary
in point value.
What is the
maximum number of points I can earn in a year?
The maximum from drills and correspondence courses is 75 points per anniversary year. Active duty has no point ceiling by category, but the maximum from all sources is 365 points per anniversary year.