Do other services do this to their reservists?

CPO Jon Campbell — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 20:58:29 -0400

I heard about a guy this week that I used to work with on Operation Neptune Shield. He has 18 years in the CG Reserve and just made E7. Along with E7 came 'PCS' orders to Long Island, NY. He lives in Charleston, SC. He now will have to travel at his own expense to NY 13 times a year. (20,000 miles per year) He will have to sign a waiver stating that he agrees to be transferred outside the reasonable commuting distance. If he doesn't sign the waiver, he will be transferred to the IRR and processed out - usually within 6 months. He either has to go in the hole for travel and expenses that will exceed his pay for the next two years or give up on making 20 years and any retirement benefits. He isn't alone. Reservists with close to 20 years and thousands of points from deployments are finding themselves in this situation more and more.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2014 9:23 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 21:23:00 -0400

I would check with a cpa to see if the travel, etc. can't be part of expenses that are not re-imbursed for tax purposes. it's been a few decades since I was a reservist - but that's what I did when I had to shift reserve centers.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2014 6:01 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 06:01:24 -0400

The Army Reserve has a lot of people who travel to units over 50 miles from their home but most of them make the decision before the promotion. My brother-in-law who is in the Air Force Reserve travels from DC to Pope, so he could get promoted.

I am sure there will be more situations like the one you mention in the future as more Reserve units are closed across the country. The fewer units, the more willing people need to be to travel for promotions.

At least in the Army Reserve IRR, one can stay for a long time and still earn points. One could retire from the IRR, if they continually earned enough points each year.

Take care.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2014 11:55 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:55:34 -0400

Short answer/BLUF: is "yes...kind of."

The Army Reserve can not force a Soldier to drill more than 50 miles from their Home of Record. However, they also do not guarantee a slot/billet.

For NCO Promotions, the NCO fills out a packet, which includes a mileage statement, indicating how far the NCO is willing to travel to get promoted. If the NCO is not selected for a slot within that radius, they are not selected for promotion. If they are, they are expected to travel to that location, voluntarily at their expense, and drill.

The other scenario for NCOs is to voluntarily apply for a position. Obviously, when doing so, the NCO also agrees to travel at their expense to drill.

Officers go through a similar process. When they apply for a position, they are signing up for the travel expenses. In the case of boarded positions, they have to sign a mileage statement as well. The only difference I know of is officers don't get promoted "into a slot" by a centralized board. They make the promotion list, and then have to find a position at the new rank. The exception to that is Field Grade Command Boards, which slot an officer into a unit. But the officer fills out a preference statement and a mileage statement for that board.

In the last year or so, the Army has started reimbursing up to $300 in travel expenses if the Reservist is traveling over 150 miles one way to drill. I haven't followed all the nuances of the program, but it started as command teams and critical MOSs, but I think was expanded to all Soldiers. This may be a local policy by GO-level command; I'm not sure.

The other program that has been around for a while to help is Lodging in Kind. There is the potential for a unit to house Soldiers who travel over 50 miles to drill on the economy. That could mean barracks or hotels, single occupancy or double, and the ranks that are covered is up to the unit policy. I have not seen the opportunity to use Lodging in Kind if being reimbursed the $300; you are expected to cover lodging costs out of the reimbursement.

This information is all based on my experience, primarily over the last 6 years, and I am not able to quote regulation chapter and verse. Please don't go to your command screaming about your entitlements without asking about local policy vs. regulatory requirements.

Good luck!

Good luck!

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2014 1:28 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 13:28:40 -0400

Brother, I have not heard of this happening to anyone in the DC Reserve region - I knew one Senior Chief that voluntarily transferred to the Atlanta area a number of years ago. Unless I'm mistaken, he did it because of an attractive position in that area that enhanced his chances of promotion. Maybe in the DC region we have so many units that there's always openings, but I think it is more a question of leadership in the region. This may be changing, but I haven't heard of it yet.