Posted on Mar 24, 2021
If I receive a family care plan chapter, will I have to repay my enlistment bonus? What benefits do I get?
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So I just got told I need a fcp or chapter. I ets in 7 months. Married to a civilian. But he travels for long periods of time so that leaves me with my daughter with no one to watch her. So do I have to repay my enlistment bonus? What benefits do I get? Is there another way to go about this? I need guidance...
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You'll still receive an honorable discharge. You'll receive all your GI Bill benefits as long as you serve 36 months by your separation date. Yes, you will be required to pay back a portion of your enlistment bonus but it's a prorated portion. For instance, if you enlisted for 4 years (48 months) and you separated in 4 months, you would only pay back the last three months worth of your bonus. For instance, if you received $48,000 for your bonus, you'd pay back $3,000. You'll pay back the pretax amount which does suck.
Usually when you're within six months of ETS your command won't bother with kicking you out unless it's over misconduct. The amount of work isn't worth getting you out of the Army a few months earlier. If your command starts the Separation right now you probably won't be separated for another 3-4 months from today. It could be faster, but your command is going to the field next month, meaning you're not a priority right now.
Try to offer this alternative instead: they bar you from reenlistment and if you don't come up with a FCP at the end of the second 90 day review, you ETS. It saves everyone time, energy, and paperwork. This way your Commander and 1SG have done something to address the situation, which they are required to do, and it offers you a chance to find a FCP in the mean time. Plus they now have someone to utilize for details and rear D while they're in the field as opposed to losing a second Soldier to escort you to all your chapter appointments
Usually when you're within six months of ETS your command won't bother with kicking you out unless it's over misconduct. The amount of work isn't worth getting you out of the Army a few months earlier. If your command starts the Separation right now you probably won't be separated for another 3-4 months from today. It could be faster, but your command is going to the field next month, meaning you're not a priority right now.
Try to offer this alternative instead: they bar you from reenlistment and if you don't come up with a FCP at the end of the second 90 day review, you ETS. It saves everyone time, energy, and paperwork. This way your Commander and 1SG have done something to address the situation, which they are required to do, and it offers you a chance to find a FCP in the mean time. Plus they now have someone to utilize for details and rear D while they're in the field as opposed to losing a second Soldier to escort you to all your chapter appointments
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SFC (Join to see)
SGT (Anonymous) I would have to look in the Separation pay reg, but I don't think so. However, separation pay also requires a three year commitment to the Reserve Component as well. There's a couple of variables that come into play that she would have to look it up in the reg. But yes, the Separation pay and the enlistment pay debt would happen at the same time
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SFC (Join to see) is spot on.
The only thing I can add is that you have 7 months left. Find a way to make it work. Fi you add in terminal leave, you have 6 months left. If you add in clearing, you have 5 months left - and half of THAT time, you will be at SFL-TAP appointments.
Find a way to make it through your field exercise next month, cobble together an FCP that workjs for the next few months, and make it to ETS. It is better for EVERYONE involved.
And this is much less for you than anyone else who might read this later, it makes no difference how you got here, only that you are here, but....
This is why FCP's are a big deal, and why you need to start working on one sooner rather than later. Your husband traveling a lot is not a surprise or a new things (I assume). Planning ahead for this sort of thing prevents a lot of issues down the road.
The only thing I can add is that you have 7 months left. Find a way to make it work. Fi you add in terminal leave, you have 6 months left. If you add in clearing, you have 5 months left - and half of THAT time, you will be at SFL-TAP appointments.
Find a way to make it through your field exercise next month, cobble together an FCP that workjs for the next few months, and make it to ETS. It is better for EVERYONE involved.
And this is much less for you than anyone else who might read this later, it makes no difference how you got here, only that you are here, but....
This is why FCP's are a big deal, and why you need to start working on one sooner rather than later. Your husband traveling a lot is not a surprise or a new things (I assume). Planning ahead for this sort of thing prevents a lot of issues down the road.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
Do you know how hard it is to find reliable, decent babysitters that you can trust your children with for overnights? It's really hard. I'm a single parent - and I had two reliable babysitters I trusted my daughter to spend the night with (like when I have staff duty) but one of them PCSed with her husband. Now I'm down to one.
It's really hard to find people you can trust your kids with and add on when you have no family close by? That's me. Single parent. My family is all in the Midwest. I'm on the other side of the country. My dad is now retired so he can help if I had field exercises or stuff - and if I were to deploy she goes to stay with my brother and SIL.
Also I don't recommend telling people to "cobble together" a FCP or to just "find someone" to keep their kid.
It's really hard to find people you can trust your kids with and add on when you have no family close by? That's me. Single parent. My family is all in the Midwest. I'm on the other side of the country. My dad is now retired so he can help if I had field exercises or stuff - and if I were to deploy she goes to stay with my brother and SIL.
Also I don't recommend telling people to "cobble together" a FCP or to just "find someone" to keep their kid.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - I was a single dad for a good portion of my career. Cobbling together an FCP is never the BEST option, but sometimes it is the ONLY option, currently. When I became a single parent, it was at virtually no notice. My ex and I had joint custody, but she was primary. Until she decided she didn't want to be a mom anymore - at all. I picked up my kid two days later (had to fly to NY from HI), and then had to figure out how to take care of my kid in a hurry because we went to the field a week later. Oh... and I had been on island for about 2 months and didn't really know anyone yet.
As time went on, I continually strengthened my FCP, but every time I PCSed, I had to start over.
I never recommended, nor WOULD I recommend "just finding someone." At the end of the day, these are our children. At least in my case, I'd take an article 15 and a chapter over putting my kid in harm's way. But if we CAN find a way to avoid the article 15, the chapter, AND harm to the kid, well, JACKPOT.
As time went on, I continually strengthened my FCP, but every time I PCSed, I had to start over.
I never recommended, nor WOULD I recommend "just finding someone." At the end of the day, these are our children. At least in my case, I'd take an article 15 and a chapter over putting my kid in harm's way. But if we CAN find a way to avoid the article 15, the chapter, AND harm to the kid, well, JACKPOT.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
SFC Casey O'Mally - I've been a single parent for the last six years - and even when I was married to my ex, he wasn't around. Our daughter was admitted 13 times from 6 weeks old to 3 years old. We were only married a year (I've known him since we were 19) and even in that time, anytime she got admitted he took off to get high.
I did a compassionate reassignment after her second admission was a month long. It got approved and luckily the joint unit had a slot so I did 3 years. (Almost four after a medical stabilization when I neared 3 years and she didn't have a transplant yet). I deferred SLC 3 times because of her stuff.
It sounds like she's been trying to find someone but anyone she has found is not dependable or negligent. So at that point, it's take the hardship chapter so the kid can be safe instead of trying to appease leadership.
I did a compassionate reassignment after her second admission was a month long. It got approved and luckily the joint unit had a slot so I did 3 years. (Almost four after a medical stabilization when I neared 3 years and she didn't have a transplant yet). I deferred SLC 3 times because of her stuff.
It sounds like she's been trying to find someone but anyone she has found is not dependable or negligent. So at that point, it's take the hardship chapter so the kid can be safe instead of trying to appease leadership.
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