If I reclass into Infantry, will I still be able to keep my option 40 and student loan repayment?

2020-05-12T10:27:35-04:00

I'm not doing well in my 25P course. It's only week 5 and I'm behind, struggling to keep up with the rest of the class. I'm new to IT and things are being taught at a fast pace. If I get reclassed, can I go 11B and still be able to keep my option 40 and student loan repayment in my contract?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2020 10:52 AM

2020-05-12T10:52:38-04:00

What does your contract say? Look in the 3286-B for your specifics of your contract. You should probably be able to keep your SLRP, that's not usually MOS dependent like a bonus. You have to choose that in lieu of your GI Bill. Option 40 is just a recruiter tool. You can volunteer for Ranger Regiment selection at any time in any MOS. Being "guaranteed" a shot at a selection where 75-90% of people fail and is open to everyone in the Army is a bit like selling ice to Eskimos.

Response by SPC Ted Ronayne made May 12 at 2020 10:53 AM

2020-05-12T10:53:30-04:00

Your option 40 will likely be dropped if it is in your contract. The reason you got an option 40 contract is because the 75th needs a 25P. If you're not a 25P then that slot opens back up. You might be able to volunteer for RASP from your 11B OSUT, but nothing is guaranteed.

Your student loan repayment plan will likely be partly maintained. If you received extra SRP it is because of the MOS slot you took. If I'm correct, everyone gets 35k, if you got more than that as an incentive that extra is forfeit. You will also forfeit any cash bonus if you are forced to reclass.

I would suggest you pick yourself up and push through the course because you will become a hold while waiting for an 11b slot to open at Benning, and to put it bluntly, you will hate your life while in hold status.

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made May 12 at 2020 1:22 PM

2020-05-12T13:22:29-04:00

You have to have an MOS before you really are reclassed. If you do not graduate your contracted MOS, Big Army will one for you. This is know as needs of the Army. Good luck and apply yourself in your current course.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2020 5:39 AM

2020-05-13T05:39:04-04:00

Find a battle buddy or several and ask for them to help tutor you. Spend all your free time studying. It’s a relatively short period in your life you need to make it through. Embrace the suck, do the work, make it happen. Drive on.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2020 8:20 PM

2020-05-13T20:20:16-04:00

The only way to reclass is if you failed the course. If you fail the course, you don’t get to decide what new MOS you get, it’s based upon the needs of the Army. As far as your bonus, the previous information that was already provided by the other NCOs is on point. Good luck to you...

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2020 9:20 AM

2020-05-14T09:20:40-04:00

You have classmates that I guarantee are willing to help you. You have instructors that are willing to assist you, even during non-class hours. If you need help with your course work reach out to someone. B 551 has plenty of support for just this kind of thing. If it's not what you want to do, that's one thing, but if you're struggling, I implore you to look to your left and right and seek extra help. I know 25Ps aren't the main MOS here, but attempt to find an Senior Knight that can mentor you, there are some great people here, make contact with them, the worst they can say is no.

Response by SFC Bryan Stetzer made May 15 at 2020 12:44 AM

2020-05-15T00:44:27-04:00

I'm not a recruiter, so this is just based on my experience. Generally, "enlilstment incentives" beyond the standard "everyone who joins gets it" stuff (like GI Bill) are put in place to entice people into understrength or critical MOSs that need people with particular skills or aptitudes. If I recall, student loan repayment is pretty standard, and Option 40 just means you get to ATTEMPT RASP (no guarantee you'll pass it). As SFC Boyd points out, you can request RASP at any time by putting in a 4187 (Request for Personnel Action), but most units that are not part of the Ranger Regiment or SOCOM will not send just anyone. In the Infantry, they are more likely, as Ranger is treated largely as a "train the trainer" thing. Bear in mind though, lots of people request it, lots of people fail it, and it costs your unit money and a person (you) to send you. Therefore, they generally require you to "earn" the slot...i.e. max your PT test, max your weapons qual, get your EIB (if you're an 11-series anyway)...before they'll send you. Also, bear in mind, if you fail out of your AIT, you don't necessarily get to pick your new MOS. The Army might give you a (short) list of available reclass options and 11B might be on it....or it might not. Once you have been given the chance at the MOS you chose, the Army has fulfilled its obligation. At that point, you serve at the needs of the Army, and they might need cooks, clerks, or candlestick makers...and that's what you'll be. When I was a 68W AIT instructor, we used to tell our students that, if they failed out, they'd be reclassed 88M to drive trucks through the desert. Who knows, it might even have been true.