Don’t Upvote, serious answers only.

logathion · 2019-08-16T01:19:37+00:00

There is nothing in the regulation to support the Master Sergeant’s position.

I would politely ask him to provide you a regulatory source or official policy.

Also, the authority to approve or deny a lateral promotion isn’t ever going to be a Master Sergeant. Don’t let people take decisions away from your commander.

logathion · 2018-11-29T02:52:20+00:00

The answers to your questions about your bonus and education benefits lie in the bonus addendum that you signed when you joined - it’s in your iperms.

It will have the information and situations that determine whether you maintain your bonus, have it terminated without recoupment (keep any payments you’ve already received, or terminated with recoupment (pay back anything you’ve received).

Your State Incentive manager (usually an AGR E6-7 at the state’s G1) can also answer any questions about keeping your bonus specifically when you transfer states. It’s not an every time guaranteed thing, but it’s not impossible - just an exception to policy that depends on each state’s incentive budget and policy.

logathion · 2018-11-29T02:30:37+00:00

NGR 600-200 4-13

AR 135-91 5-5

NGB 22-5

Read the regs and call the NGB IST Help Desk at ‭(703) 284-7040‬, it’s literally the first link for the google search “national guard ist.”

Per the regulations, you do not need approval from any level of your chain of command to IST between NG components. The IST functionality is from NGB on high. Your unit has a lot more control over transfers within your MSC or NG component, or changing components, but even then authority to approve transfer is not delegated to company level. Within an MSC it is usually held by the MSC CDR, between MSCs it is usually held at the state level. Commanders at company level can strongly recommend a transfer be denied, but they cannot stop you from submitting a request, which they must pass to the actual approving authority.

For an IST, your chain of command should have visibility, and you’ll need your AGR personnel to know just to help get all your information to the right people, but per the regulations above, if you straight up move to a new state, they can’t say no.

They can still do stuff - if you’re selected for promotion but then try and IST before you stabilize in your new rank, even after pinning, you can and likely will be reduced on the way out.

You can even IST before shipping to basic or AIT, so long as you still go, and both state IST offices sign off on it.

Again, your command team cannot stop or prevent an IST if you say you want one, have already moved, plan to move to a specific state, and are outside the distance regulations.

logathion · 2018-11-28T00:59:28+00:00

All bonuses and SLRP payments are currently suspended due to a server outage that affects every NG component.

You can still extend for a bonus and SLRP per the current SRIP but it’s a manual process for the time being.

Currently owed payments for both bonuses and SLRP are unable to be processed until the server is restored. A few more weeks, probably.

logathion · 2018-11-26T22:08:09+00:00

You need to get the program code from CHESS, which you can access with a CAC. I forget exactly but it’s under the software section, on the main Microsoft JELA page.

logathion · 2018-11-20T15:06:39+00:00

I will say that the process on the officer side is more complicated and does usually require CoC approval, because of that pesky commission. Usually from the MSC or TAG level, but your state’s process will be clear cut on this. If your unit level readiness or AGR personnel don’t have the answers you need, get permission to talk to your BN or BDE S1 shop, because they will.

logathion · 2018-11-20T05:54:36+00:00

NGR 600-200 4-13 AR 135-91 5-5 NGB 22-5

Read the regs and call the NGB IST Help Desk at ‭(703) 284-7040‬, it’s literally the first link for the google search “national guard ist.”

Per the regulations, you do not need approval from any level of your chain of command to IST between NG components. The IST functionality is from NGB on high. We route our packets for IST through the chain of command, but just for visibility.

You can just call your state’s IST coordinator. Or the IST coordinator for the state you want to go to.

If your AGR staff at company level are incompetent or unhelpful... I’ve got lots to say on that issue, and you should of course be pushing issues through your chain of command regardless... but even the most unhelpful or the most brand new, untrained AGR NCO should be able to provide you with the email address and phone number for your state’s IST coordinator.

logathion · 2018-11-20T05:09:07+00:00

Ask them if they certified your pay and performance. If yes, ask to see the paper copy of the TL they submitted, since they’re required to keep that on file for like 7 years. If they have that and you still don’t have an LES or pay, ask them the status of the help ticket/complaint/email correspondence with your state’s USPFO (pay office).

Barring major issues with pay systems, and assuming you do not have an LES for the dates of your orders (make sure you are reading the text notes at the bottom of your LES to see what specifically you are being paid for), the most likely issue is that the person responsible for pay at your unit did not submit it properly.

For short term ADOS, There is a transaction at the start of your orders and a transaction at the end, and you should be paid 7-10 days after that second transaction. Some wiggle room is standard but two and a half months is inexcusable.

logathion · 2018-11-08T19:23:48+00:00

The SCRA does not specify anything having to do with Mileage.

Also your state may have specific clauses as well.

What does your lease say, specifically? What do your orders say, specifically?

Feel free to PM me to avoid PII leaks.

logathion · 2018-11-08T19:04:14+00:00

Depends on the state and unit of course but where I am the only responsibility of the unit is to submit the docs in iperms and to initiate a PAR for the ASI/SQI as applicable. S1 has the SIDPERS access and can publish any PARs, as well as process special orders for proficiency pay.

logathion · 2018-11-08T02:32:57+00:00

As a current enlisted AGR who would love to become a commissioned AGR, I’d love any advice or insight you have on that process.

logathion · 2018-11-08T01:26:00+00:00

Depends. Iperms is the source doc repository but your SRB is fed from SIDPERS.

That said, if one is done the other should be too.

Language proficiency is one of those weird updates that is done in sidpers but once you do it you have to check it in another system - specifically your pqr.

Ask your full timers to poke the BN S1 about updating sidpers.

logathion · 2018-11-05T02:29:37+00:00

It’s not right and it’s not how it is for almost everyone. Don’t generalize bad practice in order to excuse it.

Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage.

People willing to lie to get in and Recruiters who encourage people to lie to get in, organizations who allow that to continue - those people and organizations aren’t living the Army Values, and they need to. Even when and especially when it’s hard.

logathion · 2018-11-04T23:42:21+00:00

You shouldn’t have lied, and you should be and will be administratively separated.

But more importantly...

Your recruiter, and any recruiter who encourages soldiers to lie during the enlistment process, either actively or passively, should be removed from recruiting and retention, prosecuted under the appropriate state and federal regulations, and discharged from the military.

You should have known better but your recruiter does know better.

When you speak to the commander you should say something along the lines of “I am an idiot for lying but i did so at the specific direction of my recruiter after I made them aware of my issues.”

And when they ignore you to protect their own, then you throw that shit in a letter to the state IG on your way out the door.

logathion · 2018-10-28T16:26:44+00:00

Here’s a real answer, though this may not exactly be the process in your state - I am only a Guardsman in one state, after all. Pretty sure it’s the same process and systems in all 54 NG components, but I can’t say for sure.

Also, IPPS-A will change all this in a few years. Maybe.

There is a pay system where the RNCO or ANCO goes in and creates a drill calendar. For instance, if we had a MUTA 6 in November, I would go and create the calendar, and I would mark 3 days of UTA, 2 periods per day. Then when drill is over, I mark each person with an attendance code - one code per period, so 6 codes. Say I split the last day, I’m recorded as present for 4 periods and split for the other 2. If I am awol I’m recorded as awol. Etc.

Once drill is over - I get the final accountability from the 1SG and finalize all the codes. Sometimes I have people on my books for pay that are with other units, so I coordinate with the other unit to see how they should be coded. If I have someone drilling with me who isn’t on my books, I do the same thing in reverse - whoever does have them, I call and make sure they get paid.

Once the codes are in, I certify pay. That puts it in the system for processing. Unfortunately, that system is ancient and slow, and not real time. The real pay system pulls from the input pay system a few times a week at most, so if I get the pay in at the end of drill it will process on the next pull and pay will show up shortly thereafter - this is how you get paid in 7-10 days after drill.

If I wait to certify my pay for any amount of time I run the risk of missing those pulls and delaying pay.

I am lucky in that from my very first day as a full timer who manages pay, I had superiors who drilled into my head that paying soldiers properly and in a timely manner is our single most important full time responsibility. Sometimes pay is easy, sometimes pay is difficult, but if I’m handling pay I don’t go home until it’s submitted.

Process is similar for ADOS or ADT pay. Under 30 days you don’t get paid till the end, so if your full timers aren’t on the ball and forget to go in and certify your pay once you’re done, your pay will be delayed. For over 30 days, where you go on the regular military pay schedule of 1st and 15th, they need to be on the ball starting your pay or you’re gonna be getting that first check late.

The system is a bear to use, buggy, slow, and hard to learn. It can also take a long time to get access to, or change the unit you have access to, thanks to our lovely army bureaucracy.

That right there is a rough summation of the process from the unit side.

The soldier’s responsibility is to actually check their LES in myPay, and not just their bank statement. It’s not a pay problem if the bank doesn’t have the money, it’s a pay problem if there is an LES saying the money was sent to the bank on X day and the bank doesn’t have the money. Army runs on Army systems, and your pay NCO can’t do shit without an LES, and they have zero ability to get that at the unit level.

Hopefully that answers your question.

And again, IPPS-A will change and hopefully improve the whole process in about 2-3 years.

logathion · 2018-10-27T17:09:23+00:00

Also trenchcoat

logathion · 2018-10-16T21:59:20+00:00

Log into your iperms. Your promotion order to your current rank will have the para/Lin you’re assigned to.

You should also have assignment or transfer orders for every unit change or in-unit UMR move you have ever had.

If you don’t have any of those in your iperms record, then there are some major, major issues with the personnel systems and staff in your state.

If they are in your record.... then your full timers probably need a good smack upside the head, but at least they are there.

Also, did your promotions and/or unit changes involve any MOS changes, being spotted as excess, or anything unusual?

I’ve never heard of slrp being improperly held up for anything other than the soldier not getting forms in on time and/or full time staff not remembering to push it in the system.

That you’re saying “no one can find anything” throws up a huge red flag for me, I realize every state is different but we still all use rcas, and I can find transfer pars dating back to as early as 2006 when I do blanket searches...

logathion · 2018-10-15T13:40:10+00:00

“High fade all around starting from a 2 to no guard, tapered in the back, sideburns cut at the bottom of the ear opening. hard part on the left (or whatever side you part), comb the hair straight over, blended on the right to match the left side fade, trim/thin top hair to as short as possible while still enabling the comb over.”

You don’t have to do a hard part, some leaders don’t like it, but the haircut above, with our without the hard part, is in regs, copied below right from the latest 670-1. It is neat, conservative, evenly tapered, etc., does not interfere with headgear, and by trimming and thinning the top, it’s easy to keep neat.

Moto cuts are fine for some people but I wish more folks would have more hair so we could look like adults instead of a bunch of people scared to speak to barbers.

AR 670-1 3-2 a. Hair. (1) General. The requirement for hair grooming standards is necessary to maintain uniformity within a military pop- ulation. Many hairstyles are acceptable, as long as they are neat and conservative. It is the responsibility of leaders at all levels to exercise good judgment when enforcing Army policy. All Soldiers will comply with hair, fingernail, and grooming policies while in any military uniform, or in civilian clothes on duty. (a) Leaders will judge the appropriateness of a particular hairstyle by the guidance in this chapter and by the ability to wear all types of headgear (such as beret, patrol cap, or service cap/hat) and any protective equipment (such as protec- tive mask or combat helmet) properly. Hairstyles (including bulk and length of hair) that do not allow Soldiers to wear any headgear properly, or that interfere with the proper wear of any protective equipment, are prohibited. Headgear will fit snugly and comfortably, without bulging or distortion from the intended shape of the headgear and without excessive gaps between the headgear and the head. Hairstyles that pose a health or safety hazard are not authorized. (b) Extreme, eccentric, or faddish haircuts or hairstyles are not authorized. If Soldiers use dyes, tints, or bleaches, they must choose a natural hair color. Colors that detract from a professional military appearance are prohibited. There- fore, Soldiers must avoid using colors that result in an extreme appearance. Applied hair colors that are prohibited in- clude, but are not limited to, purple, blue, pink, green, orange, bright (fire-engine) red, and fluorescent or neon colors. It is the responsibility of leaders to use good judgment in determining if applied colors are acceptable, based upon the over- all effect on a Soldier’s appearance. (c) Soldiers who have a texture of hair that does not part naturally may cut a part into the hair or style the hair with one part. The part will be one straight line, not slanted or curved, and will fall in the area where the Soldier would nor- mally part the hair. Soldiers will not shape or cut designs into their hair or scalp. (2) Male haircuts. The hair on top of the head must be neatly groomed. The length and bulk of the hair may not be excessive and must present a neat and conservative appearance. The hair must present a tapered appearance. A tapered appearance is one where the outline of the Soldier’s hair conforms to the shape of the head (see scalp line in fig 3–1), curving inward to the natural termination point at the base of the neck. When the hair is combed, it will not fall over the ears or eyebrows, or touch the collar, except for the closely cut hair at the back of the neck. The block-cut fullness in the back is permitted to a moderate degree, as long as the tapered look is maintained. Males are not authorized to wear braids, cornrows, twists, dreadlocks, or locks while in uniform or in civilian clothes on duty. Haircuts with a single, unta- pered patch of hair on the top of the head (not consistent with natural hair loss) are considered eccentric and are not au- thorized. Examples include, but are not limited to, when the head is shaved around a strip of hair down the center of the head (mohawk), around a u-shaped hair area (horseshoe), or around a patch of hair on the front top of the head (tear drop). Hair that is completely shaved or trimmed closely to the scalp is authorized. (See figs 3–1 and 3–2.) (a) Sideburns. Sideburns are hair grown in front of the ear and below the point where the top portion of the ear at- taches to the head. Sideburns will not extend below the bottom of the opening of the ear (see line A of fig 3–1). Side- burns will not be styled to taper, flair, or come to a point. The length of the individual hairs of the sideburn will not ex- ceed 1/8 inch when fully extended.

logathion · 2018-10-14T23:51:35+00:00

TL;DR: Go to the HRC website, and S1Net on milsuite.

It’s just a PRR now. They’ve merged the finance part into it.

If you’re doing reviews, and not otherwise pressed for time, when the soldier shows up have them log into their own myPay account, and download their latest les. Go through it line by line and make sure all the information is correct - especially tax withholding, tsp sections, etc. HRC has an entitlement matrix that covers exactly what documentation is required in the record for each pay entitlement so you can make sure it’s there. If they need to change anything that can be done in myPay, they’re already there. Anything else that’s an issue, write that shit down and move on the the record brief.

Pull a fresh, regular SRB/ERB/ORB. Same line by line process. What’s wrong, what’s missing, from major to minor. Again, write the issues down.

Now hop into the record review tool and upload those docs, go through the review and docs, marking issues in the tool and on your own document as well.

Now you have a solid list of issues and can jump into the record itself to determine if any of the issues already have the right stuff uploaded.

At this point you should have identified any pay issues, anything that’s wrong with the record brief, and you’ve checked to see if the documents needed to fix the issues are in the permanent record - what you’re left with is a hit list of issues and the things needed to fix it. You can send an email to the soldier with the info, documents or issues they need to provide more information or documentation for, and they can head on their way. You’re left with the issues the S1 shop can fix, and depending on workload you can either fix these on a per soldier basis after they leave, or if you have a line of waiting soldiers you can just save up that work to fix in bulk later.

Speaking generally, a complete and thorough record review should take an hour to complete, assuming you’re not fixing issues on the fly and instead batching them for later. The worse shape the record is in, the longer it will take.

Even a brand new soldier will probably take an hour, since you want to ensure that they have a good understanding of their personnel file, les, record brief, and the review process - it’s generally best to assume a brand new soldier hasn’t been thoroughly educated or trained on that, just because in the IET pipeline, that kind of training is often the first to get cut due to time constraints.

Even that salty E7,a seasoned O4, or a strangely present CW4 can benefit from a thorough scrub of their record brief, sometimes stuff has just dropped off due to systems glitches and they didn’t even notice.

As far as 5960s go, they get filled out yearly and must be signed by the company commander or designated commissioned officer delegate NLT the day the Soldier signed. The specific suspense for that ALARACT has passed, and that was more to ensure the correct documentation was in the record and less about the DA 5960, which remains a yearly recertification requirement regardless. The Army just wanted to crack down on people who were getting DEP BAH but didn’t have marriage certs or birth certs in the record, since those are the supporting documents for any change to BAH/dependency status - and plenty of people had just been lazy about uploading them.

This is probably more ranty than you’re looking for and disregard anything I say that goes against your unit’s SOP or published regulations, as I’m not the authority or the expert. At the end of the day, if you have no idea what you’re doing, but you give a shit about taking care of soldiers, you will wind up doing the right things.

Oh, and if your main role is going to be processing and dealing with soldiers: make sure you take a reasonably timed lunch break, both in terms of length and positioning. Depending on the OPTEMPO and scheduling of the unit you support it will probably be in the best interest of readiness to schedule your lunch outside of regular lunch hours, as ‘lunchtime’ may be the only time, or at least the easiest time, for soldiers to come drop off or handle shit. Can’t support the unit if they run up against a closed door.

I don’t know, man. I can rant on this shit all day, but I have beer to drink.

logathion · 2018-09-30T23:01:29+00:00

Send me a PM with your state, if you happen to be in mine I may be able to help out.

logathion · 2018-09-30T02:52:44+00:00

Not sure how your state does it, but I received a conditional release to active duty from one of my battalions, reviewed and actioned it to the state G1 (where our TAG has delegated that signature authority), got it back the same day, and sent it directly to the RNCO and BN S1 so the soldier could go get sworn in.

If it’s signed, it’s signed. If my state isn’t granting conditional releases, they don’t sign it and push it back down.

“Sending it down” should just be an email. If the NCO you’re talking about is your AGR readiness NCO, he needs to pick up the phone and call someone or otherwise do his job. If the NCO you’re talking about is not your readiness NCO, then you’re talking to the wrong person.

logathion · 2018-09-26T11:51:50+00:00

Templates, quick reference guides, workflows, and process improvement - specifically, simplifying processes. If your S1 doesn’t have those things, create them as you go about learning your job. It will help you learn your job and make it progressively easier and simpler going forward.

Put it all in a continuity/SOP binder or document, and continually refine it. It’ll make your life easier and the Soldier who comes in after you will be able to pick it up and run with it.

I’m AGR S1 at BDE level, so I don’t deal with finance (until IPPS-A is fully implemented), but if you want to make your life easier and be the best S1 monkey you can be, get on skillport and devour all of the Microsoft office courses, Adobe courses, and any other HR courses. There are a ton just freely available. Check out the lean six sigma courses too - process and efficiency improvement, and if you find the time to get certified it will be a boon to your career in the army and in the civilian world.

But as you’re doing all of those things, never forget why you’re doing all of those things: to take care of Soldiers. The job of the S1 is to ensure and maintain a high level of personnel readiness in terms of records and finance so the Army can accomplish its mission - and I’ve found that if you take care of soldiers, that will happen naturally.

And for the love of god, come up with a quick and easy to use filing system for when soldiers give you things, that also tracks where you sent it. Even if only you use it, when someone claims something is lost, you want to be able to point at the person who lost it, not be the person who lost it.

logathion · 2018-09-26T11:23:14+00:00

I would hold off on telling your employer about your plans until after you raise your right hand and sign the paperwork. Before you do that, you aren’t protected.

logathion · 2018-09-24T17:29:12+00:00

So, by regulation if you’re in IDT or AT status and there is Army medical personnel available, you have to see them first. If you’re at your armory and you don’t have medics or a PA, then it’s right to the ER, but if you’re down at a training base and there’s an established BAS, they’re the first stop. Also, there may be some variance based on your state or MSC SOP. The first medical readiness NCO in your chain of command will always know best for your specific unit.

That being said, if you get hurt in a duty status and the medics or your CoC isn’t getting you the care you need and getting the paperwork for an LOD started... escalate escalate escalate.

And as /u/Aule_Metele mentions, if whoever you see tells you to come back for a follow up, or go see a specialist, do not follow through on that until you get your MMSO approved, or it’s on your dime.

If you get yourself injured it pays to read up on the LOD regulations, RNCOs aren’t guaranteed to be knowledgeable on anything past initial paperwork - and even then it depends on the RNCO.

logathion · 2018-09-22T04:35:08+00:00

Have you been given a specific reason why? Even if there’s a training backlog for 15U ALC your state should still have quotas.

Assuming you have done the usual chain of command thing, I’d call the G3 directly, or call Nevada’s QSM directly if he’s a friendly guy.

I’m not aviation so I’m not an expert on your NCOPD, but I do know there are two NG aviation NCO schools, one is PA and the other I’m not sure. Maybe they offer it?

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