Is this a misinterpretation of an Army regulation for Voluntary Reclassification?

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 00:12:53 -0400

It states in Section 3-17 that "Soldiers may request voluntary reclassification; however, they must meet the following criteria in order to be reclassified.." The requirement I am concerned about is "The soldier may not be within 24 months of ETS." In this statement, does it mean a soldier must not be writhin 24 months of ETS when requesting and getting approved for a reclassification school? Or does it mean once the soldier graduates from the AIT he/she must not be within 24 months of ETS meaning there is at least two years left on the contract after earning the new MOS.

The second meaning makes more sense to me except I didn't know about this rule and had my voluntary reclassification paperwork signed by my retention NCO, company Commander, 1SG and Brigade Commander. They all said I met qualifications for everything. They also made me extend my contract for 3 months (same as graduation date of AIT) to meet time "requirements" for the reclassification.

Now that I am a month away from graduating from this new AIT school (that takes 1 year long to complete..) my Phase 2 coordinator is questioning how I was able to reclass in my first enlistment without reenlisting for at least two years which is what most people have to do in order to reclass... He's now questioning whether I am going to be able to get PCS orders and graduate from this course.

Even though he is only an E6 it still makes more sense that the Army would allow me to reclass if I had at least 2 years on my contract... this is my first enlistment and I got to reclass. once I graduate from AIT I only have a year left on my contract... is it possible that my company at my last duty station made that big of a mistake? If you know any other resource or advice for me on how to decifer army regulations please let me know because they can be easily misinterpreted. Who can I ask to interpret the Army Regs to prevent miscommunication? HRC? JAG?

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2018 12:13 AM

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 00:13:54 -0400

Forgot to mention it is from AR 614- 200

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2018 12:37 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 00:37:52 -0400

I’m pretty sure your old unit is correct. Without getting into specifics about your original ETS, I’m guessing you extended and reclassed in your reenlistment window?

614-200 c3-17
“(k) Soldier must be fully eligible to reenlist or extend per AR 601–280”

601-280 c4-9
“Extensions for purposes other than those listed in this paragraph will be evaluated by the Soldier’s immediate commander, approved as outlined, and accomplished only when the Soldier is within the reenlistment eligibility window. These extensions will not exceed a cumulative total of 12 months on any one enlistment, unless otherwise specified. Extensions are not authorized once the Soldier is within 3 months of scheduled ETS, except when prior approval has been obtained from Commander, HRC.”

As you only extended three months with your commanders approval, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Unless I have misinterpreted things entirely, I think you’ll be good.

Additionally, when in doubt, talk to legal.

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jul 7 at 2018 5:58 AM

MAJ Javier Rivera — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 05:58:57 -0400

2 folded answer:

1. For the right interpretation it would be either JAG or IG. Cannot go wrong with them.

2. Regarding of the situation it is my not on active duty anymore opinion that your previous chain of command did a good deed without consulting. Not sayin it’s wrong but they put you in a hard spot. If you don’t have enough remaining time your branch will not PCS you; it cost an amount of resources for that. Also, why train you if the Army cannot get its return on investement? At the end of the day you are not at fault but most likely will have to either re-enlist or ETS.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2018 6:24 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 06:24:12 -0400

What sense does it make to add a year in training you only to have you report to a unit with only a year left on your contract? 2 years left in order to PCS is fairly standard, unless you received a waiver.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jul 7 at 2018 6:59 AM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 06:59:28 -0400

Listen, he is correct. The military requires a minimum amount of remainjng service in order to PCS service members. I am not sure it is two years (I believe it is). It is not cost effective if a service members shows at his or her new assignment and ETS after some very expensive trainjng is provided. It hurts the unit and the Army. In either case the military will review your records prior to issuing PCS orders. If you have to extend or re-enlist they will tell you. My last point is a question, why would you be against an extension to your tour unless your plan was to ETS immediately after receiving this trainjng. Good Faith. Thank you for your service.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2018 12:16 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 12:16:38 -0400

There are a lot of different rules that apply depending on several factors.
It's rare, but it's possible your levy allowed you to PCS without extending to meet the SRR for the follow on assignment or the school. Whether you reenlist or extend makes no difference.
You can find the SRR for the school in the ATRRS course catalog, or in AR 614-200 based on the school length. The SRR for your follow on assignment is generally 2 years from report date for CONUS and three years for Airborne or OCONUS.
If you have only one year after you graduate you'll have to reenlist or extend in order to PCS