Navy personnel officials are tweaking the rules for commanders and captains wanting to retire in their current grade and punch out up to a year early.
Since 2008, the Navy has allowed O-5s and O-6s with at least 24-months time-in-grade to request a waiver and retire sooner than the 36 months normally required. In addition, the requests no longer need final approval by the chief of naval personnel. The new rules give community managers more leeway to OK routine early retirement requests.
Now, only cases where officials feel they can't support the early out will the request reach CNP's desk for a final determination.
So far this fiscal year, 29 officers from six officer communities have gotten permission punch out under the old rules and officials say these recent tweaks, announced in NavAdmin 182/16, released Aug. 16.
Navy officials allow up to 50 takers each year, but insist there's no quotas that must be filled.
And community health in the officer corps is good enough that a lack of applicants won't force the Navy into mandatory cuts or selective early retirement boards, officials say.
"Approval of a time-in-grade wavier is based on each community's inventory compared against requirements," said Sharon Anderson, spokeswoman for the chief of naval personnel. "In the last few years, the number of requests has not exceeded the goal, therefore community managers and strength planners do not anticipate receiving a large number of requests that approaches the goal number."
Under current policies, the Navy secretary can approve retirement in grade with as little as 24 months served in highest grade and that authority has been delegated down to CNP and now the community managers.
However, by law, such waivers can be granted with as little as six months time-in-grade, but those requests require presidential approval, Anderson said.
For those who can't get community waivers to retire early at their current paygrade, because they can't meet the 24-month minimum time in grade, the program allows officers to take a reduction in grade and retire.
The NavAdmin says that officers willing to take this cut in grade — and with it reduced retired pay — if their time in grade wavier is denied should include a next lower grade waiver request in their package that will be considered if their original request to retire early in their current grade is denied.
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
