BonedRiver

There are a few of us lurking around who did exactly this last year... I haven't heard of 1 regret! In short, if you do not serve out the GI Bill xfer ADSC, your dependents lose it (you can still use it for yourself!). They are supposed to recoup the "unearned" portion of the bonus. The AF has made this a huge CF in my case when it came down to calculating my final pay after separation. I kept fighting & fighting with my local finance office after I separated, telling them my taxable income was wrong due to the way DFAS went about recouping the bonus among other things (like totally forgetting that I still got flight pay through my final month of service). Basically, DFAS put me on the hook, owing my unearned portion of bonus pre-tax... so I owed big blue more than the $18,750 after taxes. They started to recoup this from my final paycheck, so it was pretty much zero. Then the way they work advance debt payments and all that BS totally f'd up my taxable income. I finally received a corrected W-2 last week which reduced my taxable income by about $18k+ giving me another $3K+ of tax return $$ from the amendment. FYSA, my bonus payment was in Sep, with a 30 Nov separation-- so a big chunk unearned. Since I owed so much, my final pay didn't cover the debt... so now the remaining balance has gone to DFAS out of service debt... whom I've submitted inquiries/claims to because my indebtedness balance is wrong based on all of the "by-hand" final pay calculations my local finance off completed when I left. YMMV- Big blue also dicked up my DD-214 and tried listing me in reserve (IRR) status when that is totally not part of the deal when declining continuation (never sign a SoU/A)... So I already have amended DD-214s I have to lug around for life & still have a green reserve ID card I need to turn in somewhere down the road (2-hrs from nearest installation!). Despite that crap, I'm happy to be out! Just keep an eye on your sh!t 'cause no one else is there to help!

Aviation Dept secretary: Andrea Pharris: 918-828-4270

I read it as no TERA period. I anticipate them returning to previous guidance of offering continuation to anyone with less than 6-yrs to retirement and/or a critical skill. -- all due to FY14 cutting too deep, and retention sucking so bad. I encourage anyone interested to keep an eye on DoDI 1320.08

For those considering being twice passed over next year+ HAF/A1 doesn't foresee TERA being an option for those non-continued despite being authorized for use by Congress through 2018. Enjoy, and get out now!

I just finished my ATP practical at Tulsa Community College this weekend. Great experience (I am a B-1 guy)! It's a small aviation department-- they fly a little Piper Seminole. I spent $1905 on flights/instruction + $600 DFE fee. I also spent about $280 for 3 nights at a hotel + around $100 in gas there and back. All very well worth in, IMO> I arrived Wed night. Thurs 1200 - 1730 was ground school - nothing earth shattering. I flew a 2.9 on Friday. I flew a 1.3 later Fri to clean up a couple things i sucked at on ride 1 (felt super comfortable/ready). I flew a 1.9 Saturday morning for my checkride -- walked out the door just after 11am.

11B offered continuation//decling & walking away 30 Nov with nothing. My Wing/CC showed me the SECAF instructions to the continuation board after I inquired in June about why I was the only B-1 guy given an ultimatum (stay in/accept continuation OR Else... leave with nothing), while all my 2x passed over B-1 brethren had won the lottery with non-continuation/TERA. AFSCs on the SECAF's critical skills list were offered continuation (the stay or leave with nothing this year). Those not on the list are automatically in the non-continuation bucket, with TERA if eligible. There was one small caveat at the end of one paragraph saying the board can continue whoever they want based on the "best interest" of the AF. He told me that must be how I was offered continuation as a "non critical' skill. Seems sketchy... you'd think "best interest" would be to coerce ALL pilots to stay in via this shitty continuation deal instead of retiring them. Talking with continuation folks at AFPC... ONLY 135 officers were offered continuation this year. I know of at least 5 (all pilots, btw) that are all declining it, despite leaving with nothing. What really pissed me off, is that I'm not even a critical skill, yet somehow, the AF thinks they're offering me this amazing deal by trying to financially coerce me to stay in, TBNT!

lol... Edit: For more lolz

Words via AFPC emails & my WIng King who was on the board... There were 135 officers offered continuation this year. It was allegedly based solely upon TAFMS-D for which there were specific "windows" determining what folks were eligible for (Seperation/Retirement/TERA/continuation). The only outlier as he remembered it was RPAs... with all being offered continuation (negative quality indicators & all). Apparently there are 7 officers separated w/o TERA. AFPC is working towards SECAF approval of TERA for them (don't know any more specifics). My local MPS chief discussed how the AF is making subtle changes to promotions, etc. resulting in even more disingenuous/in the dark/behind closed doors sorts of "force management" via promotions/timing. (His most significant example is shifting O-4 promotions left so 1 APZ (for O-5) happens prior to 15-yrs IOT start avoiding TERA hand-outs). Don't expect leadership, AFPC, etc. to explain any rationale for decisions... they'll keep quoting AFIs & Fact Sheets to avoid acknowledging their back-handed & coersive actions to pretend that all is well in personnel management land. I'm starting to walk away... 30 Nov keeps looking better & better-

Are you looking to go reserves & airlines? I'm curious if dudes are having a decent time working the afi 36-2005 waiver due to non-promotion-

I know of 1 x continued 11B, 2 x non-continued/TERA 11Bs & 1 x non-continued/TERA 12B. Continuation this year = stay in or decline & get out with nothing but a kick in the ass. non-continuation = TERA if eligible (lottery!) or sep. pay if not TERA eligible.

I know of 2 x 11B3's fired & retired, 1 x 11B3 continued & 1 x 12B fired & retired. WTF? no clue why some of same AFSC/critical skill were continued/not. Me, I'm the continued guy... but f'g want out. It's like I'm being blackmailed to stay in w/o being able to decline for TERA this year. FML>

Which one was offered continuation, which one wasn't? (i.e., which one is on the critical skill list?)

Last year AFPC announced availability of TERA for 2x passed over dudes on 28 Feb 14, well prior to the board public release-- although the PSDMs weren't published until July sometime.. weeks after results. Nothing but crickets this year. Maybe we won't see an offer 'cause they realized they cut too deep last year and want to retain the cheap labor of continued guys vice letting them move on with life under TERA. Just frustrating for those of us wanting to plan ahead a little bit which requires knowing what options will even be on the table prior to the decision point.

Any RUMINT out there for SecAF's critical skills/afsc list this year wrt continuation? How about tera for passed over bros? I'm guessing probably a month or so before the results are out. Curious to see what jobs are continued/not.

No 2015 TERA or VSP: "the Air Force said it would only offer a limited range of non-monetary voluntary programs in fiscal 2015". Anyone else think AFPC just needs a break to figure out what the hell they've done over the past 12-months? https://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/careers/air-force/2014/12/17/no-tera-vsp-programs-2015/20548885/

Right. I'm just expecting another FCIF with another new ORM worksheet with an Ebola risk column (1-pt low; 3-pts mod; 5-pts high)...Hell, maybe even a West Africa Ebola paragraph in the local IFG.

Doubtful, although there's probably been poor attempts leading to a dynamic "it depends". I think we all just focus on studying mission success w/in our own community and how to constantly improve (in the Bone, yes, CRM's a big part of it), granted, with a healthy respect and willingness to learn from how other communities do business. But I don't think it's possible to cross streams and compare mission success v. various platforms; apples & oranges & grapes & pears//with pros & cons everywhere.

I know a dude that cross-flowed from EC-130s back in 2010-2011 as a Major. Good dude; upgraded quickly. I'm not sure how he did it/I'd have to ask him. I've heard rumors of the Reserve unit spinning up hiring late Fall into the new year. Reserve sq/cc is going through B-course now; rumors of more to follow this fall. I've heard of Dyess leadership desiring some active dudes to transition to Reserves... I'm not sure there's a whole lot of interest amongst active Dyess guys yet. Haven't heard of anyone being successful in coordinating the move yet.

So does anyone know any twice passed over dudes who turned down continuation? I heard TERA was offered to those eligible who weren't offered continuation this year. How about those declining continuation? Is this a viable option to back-door TERA when it seems like the other opportunities to find something else to do are drying up...

This was my exact question all along once all this FM junk came out. No one had a clue/could give me a damn answer. So it's nice to to know AFPC now has it written down somewhere. Here's to hoping it's available next year at 15-yrs and APZ time! Now... off to call sheppard air about that atp prep...

Can you confirm TERA for 2x passed over? I understand if NOT continued a DOS is established pretty much as soon as the board is complete (6-7 months out). And I thought an established DOS made one ineligible for TERA.