How can I get my reserve duty time attached to my civil service time?

2020-10-19T08:46:17-04:00

I have 19 years eleven months including my active duty. I was hoping that 15 years of active reserve time could account for 1 month civil service. I was forced out to disability retirement with a knee injury. I did 4 weeks per year at least two times, this alone is well over one month. Thanks. IC 2 Jeffrey K.

Response by SGT Javier Silva made Oct 19 at 2020 1:46 PM

2020-10-19T13:46:21-04:00

Talk to your HR office. They will tell you the process, and what is needed to do that.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2020 3:58 PM

2020-10-19T15:58:10-04:00

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member Kuhn … Not sure who you'd exactly contact on that front. I am missing many of those AT days on the active side as well. The only way I know who to recapture that active duty time (on reserve status) is to retire on the reserve side at age 60. That way you can bring in all the points accrued on the reserve side beyond the 20 years active.

But on the civilian side, you'll have to contact your civilian personnel office to get this fixed. It might be smart to contact DFAS to actually get those pay-stubs/LESs that shows the active duty that was performed. That way you can show this extra/AT time/training time, so you can have something concrete to show the civilian personnel office for a "pay-inquiry".

I know that AT time does count for active duty time, because when I commissioned via the OCS program the Finance folks had to find me "one" day of active duty time (I only had exactly 4 years of active-duty time for the "E" pay, when you need 4yrs & one day) when I was in my Officer Basic Course to get paid for O1E pay. They looked at my 9 year reserve time & found plenty of AT and other active-duty orders.

Good luck to you.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Oct 19 at 2020 4:03 PM

2020-10-19T16:03:17-04:00

Go to your organization's personnel office. Your profile doesn't say whom you work for, so I can't be more specific. Also look up the rules on the OPM web site. You can add your military service to your total years of civilian service to increase the computation of your civil service retirement. HOWEVER, you may have to pay into the civil service retirement system for the years you are converting.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2020 5:19 PM

2020-10-19T17:19:18-04:00

I don't know the process of buying time back for civil service, but I know it is done. I also don't know how the Navy processes Service Computation, we have a specific Army form.

I do know that any time you spent activated during your during your RC time is credited towards active duty. Every time you went TDY to a school, every time you were activated for an Annual Training, and any unit activation you were a part of counts. The specifics of it are listed in the DOD FMR Volume 7

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Oct 20 at 2020 8:07 PM

2020-10-20T20:07:28-04:00

First, you can only buy credit for active duty days. You total up the days on whatever DD-214s you have and the active days on your Reserve Annual Points report. The total will turn out to be x and some fraction. Then you get an estimated earnings statement from DFAS for the total of active pay (base pay). For FERS, you then owe 3% of that number to get the retirement credit. You then fill out the buyback paperwork and include the earnings statement. Whatever you had for active time credits for leave purposes gratis regardless whether or not you do a buyback. It can be a good deal. For me, I bought 10 years back in the day for around $10 grand. The delta of a FERS annuity between 42 vs. 32 years has been nearly $16 grand per year (GS-15 Step 7 high 3). It was a no brainer for me but obviously you won't know the full number until you actually retire and they calculate your high three, etc. If you go with the FEDs, then you have the first 2 years of payback being interest free. After that, they charge the Treasury interest rate, which is very low now. There are calculators for that stuff out there, but you have to have an idea what your actual data points are. At least you can play with it and start to get an idea.