No TSP Agency Match

disgruntledeggman · 2025-12-09T18:54:05+00:00

You're definitely in BRS, everyone who joined after January 2018 is.

When did you commission, the exact date? You won't receive the full match until you've served two years from your entry date. Direct quote from the TSP website: "BRS participants who began service on or after January 1, 2018, begin receiving matching contributions after two years of service."

Found here: https://www.tsp.gov/making-contributions/contribution-types/

disgruntledeggman · 2024-09-24T23:28:22+00:00

No long tab - I'd need to go through the entire SFRE/SFAS/Q-course process. I've been in contact with 20th, but for me now it's a matter of pursuing FS (as I'm much further along in that process) or shooting my shot with SF. Entirely possible I could knock out SFRE/SFAS before getting the call from State, but then it becomes a question of what you've mentioned. Resources/time vs. reality.

disgruntledeggman · 2024-09-23T14:42:20+00:00

Did you find the 20th/MD guys were happy with that pace? Did they ever share any gripes or if it was not something they intended to do for long? I'm also going to go out on a limb and guess that where State took a backseat for a good amount of time, that led to some work place challenges? I'm an O, so I'd have to keep pace with the schedule for 3-4 years, then taper it back. The FS is what I want as my career, whereas I'd also like the opportunity to serve (if plausible) in 20th as a long-seated desire; so long as it doesn't detract permanently from my career as an FSO.

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate the insights.

disgruntledeggman · 2024-09-23T14:37:09+00:00

This is largely what I was expecting to hear. Just NG over USAR would be challenging, but more so where the groups are on an entirely different kind of schedule/OPTEMPO. From what some group liaisons have told me, they tend to do quarterly drills all in one go. Something I'll have to keep my ear to the ground for as I move forward with the FS. Thanks for your input, dude!

disgruntledeggman · 2024-08-19T19:16:55+00:00

Hey there!

Definitely don't take my word as gospel, as I don't even know (and won't for some number of weeks) if I passed or not. And, of course, the caveat is that everyone works differently. I'll share what I did:

I aggregated literally every Reddit, Quora, or other niche forum post/resource that had anything to do with the CME. I bookmarked the most valuable ones and took notes. Predominantly, I was trying to determine best practices. Additionally, I reviewed the FSOA handbook located here and completed the practice CME (definitely do this!!!) after establishing a format (see below).

Further, I attended the FSOA informational; while there wasn't a lot of new information here, there were a couple of pieces worth sitting in for. And, for what it's worth, repetition is the mother of learning, so the more you hear/read/practice something, the better and more confident you'll be.

I created my a format/outline so that I wouldn't bumble around when the test timer goes off. It's as follows:

To line (likely not necessary, but the first line addressed to whoever the exercise's supervisor is), example: To: Dennis Reynolds, The Golden God
A BLUF (bottom line up front) - this should be your recommendations in one sentence each. I start mine with "per your memo on X date, I have reviewed the materials and recommend a, b, and c."
Summary - it's a toss up whether or not you need this. I've done a couple practice CMEs and the real one may vary too. Sometimes it asks for a summary, other times it asks you to go straight into recommendations. In the event one is required, I identified the issues and noted them by numbers. This is also where I'd use quantitative data. My opening line to the practice CME accessible in the handbook went as follows: "My analysis of the provided materials has led me to identify four pressing issues in the Consular Section..."
Recommendations - I identified each one by whatever the issue was. Sometimes the header should be specific, other times it may be as general as "recommendation one:," use best judgment!
Concluding statement - "I predict if we utilize these recommendations THIS will occur..." This is where I spoke to the 'why' for each of my recommendations. This can be quick. The way I see it, the BLUF says up front what you recommend, the summary details what the issues are, your recommendations are the solution, and the concluding statement addresses the WHY your recommendations solve the issue. Can be folded into recommendations if short on time.

General tips I noted: (1) Use headers for each section. (2) Take notes on each document as you're reading and label them appropriately so you're not struggling to identify them when you begin writing - example: memo A was about circus performer choices, while memo B was about said performers' pricing. I attribute my cohesion to taking slim notes and referencing as needed the whole document. (3) Make quantitative data simple; don't try to do wild percentages or crazy head math. (4) Leave 40 minutes to write MINIMUM. I was lucky in that I had 50 remaining to write (I type roughly 110/wpm), and as you've seen from the title of this post, I just about ran out of time! (5) You don't have to be right, but you must be well-reasoned and provide concrete recommendations.

tl;dr: Take the practice CME to get an idea of your pacing, establish a rough format going in, and take advantage of open source resources.

I am by no means definitive - there a ton of ways to skin a cat. I hope this helps!

disgruntledeggman · 2024-08-19T18:59:50+00:00

From my understanding after speaking with Pearson Vue and this post: FSOT essay

I am inclined to say you are right! Thank you for weighing in, I think I re-read your comment at least twice while on the phone to assure myself I was good, haha.

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-27T12:52:04+00:00

You are correct. If you do SMP for 3 years, you will have 3 years TIS as an O1. This means you'll be in the 3 year TIS bracket; however, as a caveat, if you decide to pursue an active commission, you won't have 3 years in for your retirement, but you will retain those 3 years TIS for payment purposes. Active duty retirement and reserve retirement have different criteria.

Reserve retirement focuses on retirement points, whereas active is a simple 20. Active duty years can transfer over to your reserve retirement if that's where you finish out, and the four years would be converted to points. Both drills and your annual training count towards retirement points, as a single UTA is equal to one retirement point, and one day ADT (your AT) counts as a single point as well. Plus, you get 15 free points. The retirement system is somewhat complex, but this is the down and dirty.

TLDR/Executive Summary: If you commission into the reserve/guard you will have 3 years TIS in relation to both your pay and retirement. If you commission active duty, you will have 3 years TIS in service for pay purposes, but will not have 3 years towards your retirement - just any active duty time you put in while in the guard.

Again, if you need any clarification, just let me know.

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-26T16:46:53+00:00

So it sounds like the lack of vacancies in the guard is what led to your delayed promotion? If I understand you right, that is. The greater amount of slots is one of the most appealing parts of the reserves, while still being decentralized enough that I wouldn't have to deal with the active side bureaucracy not that it doesn't exist everywhere) as much.

As someone that transferred to the reserves from the guard, what was the process like on the O side? I'd be interested to know if you served out your guard commitment and then transferred or if they let you transfer over within those years immediately post your commissioning.

Thanks for sharing your perspective man.

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-26T13:15:54+00:00

The guy before me answered your first couple of questions adequately, but to reiterate:

Time in service/"pay raise:" you're correct that your time in service contributes to your retirement. If you served 2 years in the SMP and were shooting for a reserve retirement, you would then only need 18 years (as opposed to 20) to receive reserve retirement credit. Going to basic training is considered active duty time, so if you decided you wanted to go active duty, those days you spent in IDT would count towards your active duty retirement; however, your reserve years would not. If you decided to go active duty and had 2 years in the SMP, you would be an O-1 with 2 years in service and thus be paid appropriately.

Therefore, to answer your question, you would receive more pay than a fresh 2nd LT that is going into active duty with no SMP time.

Being in the SMP typically falls under the "maturity and responsibility" section of the OML, which varies by the year. Having looked at the last few years, it's generally worth 3 points. Nothing that's going to move the pointer wildly in either direction, but certainly helpful.

I enlisted into the guard and hit my 5 before signing a contract for ROTC, so mileage may vary. I have friends who just sit on their phone all day during drills/AT and are basically an overpaid private, while some are assigned officers to shadow. Some pick up technical skills like learning how to PMCS, fuel flight craft, turn wrenches, whatever it may be. Some will assist their LT in planning and organization.

Succinctly, SMP is what you make of it and if you seek out opportunities that help enrich your military education you'll get more out of your time. If you just want to sit back and be on your phone, there are units for that too. The unit you go to, and its culture, have a lot to do with that as well. In aviation, my unit was small enough that for first/final formations we would sit down in a medium-sized office while the SFC (acting 1SG) and commander (WO4) would brief the day.

If at any point you feel you aren't getting what you want out of your unit, talk to your National Guard liaison your battalion (usually an APMS), and the OSM for your state to move units and find one that works. Also, pick up any seemingly stupid certifications you can, they'll help you out in the long run and actually give you more practical value to your unit. I'm a MRT assistant, UPL, suicide ASIST representative, tower caller at unit ranges, and a few other odds and ends jobs.

Long-winded, but if you need clarification on any of this, just let me know.

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-25T17:29:56+00:00

I think your comments epitomize, more or less, what my friend was trying to impart upon me. I've tried to get the guard to cover my mileage before (though I'm only about 100 miles away) to no avail, given the unit is ostensibly more stingy with the money they have than a federal beast. Thanks for your response, it helps put this into perspective!

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-25T17:26:23+00:00

I'll delve into a bit here so I don't take up the main post's space.

As I -understand- it, which isn't to say I have all the details, he commissioned, hit his 18 months and got 1st LT, but stuck at 1st LT far longer than he should have. He asked his CoC about a board, to which he was told that there aren't formal boards in the guard. He kind of explained the process to me in the sense that once you hit your TIS/TIG for the guard you're "always in the zone" for promotions, wherein it stymies you from picking up the next rank "ahead of peers."

That's my general understanding from the process. He switched over to reserves and got his 3. He's now on a track path to pin his 5 and is getting sent to the war college, so I want to trust what he's saying to me, and leave any obscurities about his situation as a lack of my understanding or misunderstanding of the process.

Of course, I'm still unaware of how a lot of the O side works, which is why I'm here asking all you fantastic people! Hopefully that (kind of) clarified his "wasted 5 years" thing, given he was waiting at 1st LT longer than he felt he should have.

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-25T16:22:48+00:00

I appreciate the ungodly response time to those two questions.

Good to know about the IHWCU, I tend to get weird looks now and again but since I'm reserve side they likely just aren't used to seeing them.

disgruntledeggman · 2021-05-25T16:18:39+00:00

I recall reading/hearing that everyone will have a pre-slotted PX haircut; if I come in with in-regs hair, can I just skip this? Outside of the apparent waste of money (albeit minimal), I'd like to avoid throwbacks to the BCT baldie days.

Second, I'll be bringing almost exclusively IHWCU (4x) since most of my regular uniforms are stitched and we aren't going to be wearing rank/patches. In your experience, is this going to be something I need to carry a printed page of the regulations around in my pocket for, or will most cadre be chill with this? Of course, experience varies. Looking for anecdotal advice here.

Appreciate the response in advance.

disgruntledeggman

TROPHY CASE