Posted on Apr 19, 2016
IRR - No more correspondence courses for retirement points! What do I do?
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The chief of the IRR/IMA branch at HRC sent out a message recently that there has been a change to the regulations, and correspondence courses will no longer count towards retirement points!!!! What do I do in order to have a good year??? (USAR)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
Suspended Profile
You may request to do an AT with a unit to get your retirement points chief or find a local career counselor to put you into a Reserve unit.
CW3 (Join to see)
Request an AT with a specific unit? Does that mean that unit will pay out of its budget for my AT? HRC's IRR/IMA branch clearly stated that there's no AT for IRR soldiers this FY...it's not in HRC's budget.
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UPDATE: I'm back in TPU-land, have been since August. The unit and the mission are great. It's a very small detachment, and the possibility of deployment is low right now. Either Djibouti or Germany, and I'd have to volunteer for it.
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CW3 (Join to see)
Plus, I've got two weeks of AT coming up at the end of this month, so when my RYE date of 13 March gets here, I'll still have a good year, despite 7 months in the IRR.
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if you need 10 yrs as an officer ( I have 20 enlisted) can you retire as an officer in the IRR?
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COL (Join to see)
Yes. But only if those years are good years. You get 15 points for affiliation and need to find another 35 points for a good year. Correspondence courses don't count anymore, so you could get them by drilling for points only with a unit.
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Spoke with HRC re: this very issue yesterday, 21 July 2016, and the answer is to find a Troop Program Unit (TPU) slot with a USAR unit and perform Unit Training Assemblies (UTA), etc. for pay & Retirement Points (RP)... or affiliate with an organization for a possible tour, such as 14 days of Annual Training (AT) or some other Special Duty such as the ones below.
Note: There are possibilities of Individual Mobilization Augmentation (IMA) or Drilling IMA (DIMA) positions, as well - but again, you'll have to either have a CAC or a DS login to access the HRC website to obtain that info.
For instance:
[From the HRC website]
Links To Other Commands For Available Tours And Training Opportunities
Many Department of the Army organizations post tour opportunities in support of their internal operations. Links to those commands are provided below.
Defense Logistics Agency
US Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Center and School
Personnel Force Innovation (PFI)
Intelligence Support
Army Reserve Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer/NCO Program
Center for Army Lessons Learned Embedded LNO Program
Hope that helps. Good luck!
CW4 Trish :)
Note: There are possibilities of Individual Mobilization Augmentation (IMA) or Drilling IMA (DIMA) positions, as well - but again, you'll have to either have a CAC or a DS login to access the HRC website to obtain that info.
For instance:
[From the HRC website]
Links To Other Commands For Available Tours And Training Opportunities
Many Department of the Army organizations post tour opportunities in support of their internal operations. Links to those commands are provided below.
Defense Logistics Agency
US Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Center and School
Personnel Force Innovation (PFI)
Intelligence Support
Army Reserve Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer/NCO Program
Center for Army Lessons Learned Embedded LNO Program
Hope that helps. Good luck!
CW4 Trish :)
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COL (Join to see)
Due to recruiting constraints, attrition and a desire to eliminate/downsize IRR, HRC is doing their best to persuade people to find units or get out. This is a normal process that begins every year from August to December. This is because the Army Reserve budget is based on the number of billets filled. IRR slots get little to no funding.
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I find that interesting for sevl reasons, most especially as I wonder what the rationale could possibly be. I never did a reserve or guard spot, though I knew of the rule certainly that let such correspondence programs be used for points of course. Now is that solely for yoir own service, or is it for all services? Since, if the other services, incl usphs and NOAA, allow it at all, you might, I wonder, possibly have a basis for appeal, whether to your own service, or higher, as the case may be, to whatever extent you might care to submit such a request, of course, within channels and according to protocol, of course. Then, too, I had known of mechanisms whereby, e.g., civil air patrol would let USAF do reserve tours with them for points, I don't know about uscg auxiliary, of course, or whether your service might allow such a thing. In, e.g., NY where we are, if you look at the DMNA websites for guard and reserve, there is both the NY state guard, the volunteer militia a member of SGAUS, that supplements the NY army Natl guard, though I'd readmit isn't federally recognized I think to drill with. However there is also in NY the NY naval militia, which is, I'd read, federally recognized, as it explicitly let's I'd also read usn USMC and uscg drilling reservists drill with them, I don't know about other svcs incl usphs since it's fundamentally a sea service. Now depending on where you are, and which state or territory, there might I thought be an analogous org to the NYNM perhaps with which you might ask to drill, or posbly with CAP or USCG aux. I also wonder if perhaps you might ask if the correspondence program offers an accredited degree like naval war college or army command and genl staff college, Natl war college, army war college, industrial colg of armed forces, or AFIT or naval postgraduate school, if the degree mechanism or courses toward it by correspondence might be allowed to count as opposed to correspond courses not done for credit. Uscg aux has something called the aux Univ prog or AUP and the AUXOP prog that you might ask about which I gather are their highest levels, though you'd of course have to be a uscg aux MBR to do them. I knew of CAP offering a master's, or might be, I don't know, and did see a website about uscg aux offering a master's paid for them by its masters partly in residence with a component of NPS I did def see that. I hope those ideas might be of help. Also, if you were to try for a pH.D. that was svc related, I know NPS has an online one I'd seem listed in comp sci, though you could ask about civilian ones, also, that, perhaps, might be asked to be allowed to count for points. Look at Univ of the people http://www.uopeople.edu they're nearly free except for admin and exam costs they only have assocs and Bach for now in bus admin and comp sci though they did start an MBA, and just got accredited by DETC formerly NHSC a legitimate accredmbos though I don't know if industry or svcs accept them yet. Look also at http://www.excelsior.edu in NY formerly a NY state external degrees program that went private, they cost, but are very svc friendly i got a 2nd Bach math from them, and a friend got his Bach math transferring credits when they were NY state govt ant he then got into an OCS. Also, you might ask to do a reserve tour at a svc profsnl school in residence not correspond that ought surely to count for points I should think, if you'd care to chat further, I'd be most eager of course by all means.
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CW3 (Join to see) Have you considered an IMA position? They offer a lot more flexible type drilling schedule than the regular type Troop Program Unit. That would get you your point that you need toward your retirement.
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CW3 (Join to see)
I would love one. Unfortunately, none of the 255A positions that are currently open would work for me. They're either overseas, or too far of a drive.
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CW3 (Join to see)
IRR Officers,
Please be advised that the revision of Army Regulation 140-185 (Dated 15 March 2016) removed the authorization to award retirement points for correspondence courses. If an IMA or IRR officer was already enrolled in a correspondence course prior to 15 March 2016 and completes the course he/she may submit the ATRSS transcript / course certificate with a DA1380 and be awarded the appropriate retirement points for the course. However, no retirement points will be awarded for correspondence courses for which service members enrolled after 15 March 2016. Any DA1380s submitted for correspondence course completion with an enrollment date after 15 March 2016 will be returned without action.
Below is an excerpt from AR 140-185 detailing the authorized criteria for earning retirement points:
Criteria for earning retirement points
Retirement points may be earned by USAR Soldiers for active duty or duty in an active status for active duty for
training (ADT), initial active duty for training (IADT), involuntary active duty for training (involuntary ADT), annual
training (AT), IDT, membership points, and for other activities specified in this regulation. The following types of IDT
are in accordance with AR 140–1:
a. Regularly scheduled unit training assembly include battle assemblies (BA) formally known as unit training
assemblies.
b. Re-scheduled training (RST).
c. Make-up assemblies for missed BA due to AT.
d. Equivalent training (ET) in lieu of scheduled BA or RST.
e. Additional training assemblies (ATA).
f. Two-hour funeral honor IDT.
g. Training of individual Soldiers in nonpay status.
Electronic-based distributed learning (EBDL) correspondence courses (which only applies to Troop Program Unit Soldiers) may still be awarded retirement points. EBDL is training medium for use collectively or individually, with or without the control of an instructor or leader. Soldiers in an inactive duty training status directed or authorized to take EBDL coursework outside of duty or training periods
are not required to be present at a government facility, to be in a duty or training status, to report time or attendance or to wear a uniform. EBDL does not include traditional correspondence courses.
V/R,
LTC Shawn Hubbell
IMA/IRR Branch Chief
COM: [login to see]
DSN: [login to see]
[login to see]
Group Mailbox: [login to see]
U.S. Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: AHRC-OPMD-AROD-R
1600 Spearhead Division Avenue
IMA Homepage: https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/IMA%20Program%20Overview
IRR Homepage: https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/Individual%20Ready%20Reserve%20Homepage
Please be advised that the revision of Army Regulation 140-185 (Dated 15 March 2016) removed the authorization to award retirement points for correspondence courses. If an IMA or IRR officer was already enrolled in a correspondence course prior to 15 March 2016 and completes the course he/she may submit the ATRSS transcript / course certificate with a DA1380 and be awarded the appropriate retirement points for the course. However, no retirement points will be awarded for correspondence courses for which service members enrolled after 15 March 2016. Any DA1380s submitted for correspondence course completion with an enrollment date after 15 March 2016 will be returned without action.
Below is an excerpt from AR 140-185 detailing the authorized criteria for earning retirement points:
Criteria for earning retirement points
Retirement points may be earned by USAR Soldiers for active duty or duty in an active status for active duty for
training (ADT), initial active duty for training (IADT), involuntary active duty for training (involuntary ADT), annual
training (AT), IDT, membership points, and for other activities specified in this regulation. The following types of IDT
are in accordance with AR 140–1:
a. Regularly scheduled unit training assembly include battle assemblies (BA) formally known as unit training
assemblies.
b. Re-scheduled training (RST).
c. Make-up assemblies for missed BA due to AT.
d. Equivalent training (ET) in lieu of scheduled BA or RST.
e. Additional training assemblies (ATA).
f. Two-hour funeral honor IDT.
g. Training of individual Soldiers in nonpay status.
Electronic-based distributed learning (EBDL) correspondence courses (which only applies to Troop Program Unit Soldiers) may still be awarded retirement points. EBDL is training medium for use collectively or individually, with or without the control of an instructor or leader. Soldiers in an inactive duty training status directed or authorized to take EBDL coursework outside of duty or training periods
are not required to be present at a government facility, to be in a duty or training status, to report time or attendance or to wear a uniform. EBDL does not include traditional correspondence courses.
V/R,
LTC Shawn Hubbell
IMA/IRR Branch Chief
COM: [login to see]
DSN: [login to see]
[login to see]
Group Mailbox: [login to see]
U.S. Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: AHRC-OPMD-AROD-R
1600 Spearhead Division Avenue
IMA Homepage: https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/IMA%20Program%20Overview
IRR Homepage: https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/Individual%20Ready%20Reserve%20Homepage
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SFC (Join to see)
Thanks. Good information to let my IRR soldier know about. I had not seen this yet.
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