TMFan

Be sure to look closely at your coverage in the out years with AAFMAA. They have great rates, but after the first few years, some of their policies include a steep decline in coverage amount.

Their life insurance quote came out at double the premiums of Navy Mutual. Then, they ended up deferring me altogether because I have a trip planned to Germany in a few months, which currently has a COVID-based travel advisory (as does most of the world). Another nail in the coffin for USAA.

Can anyone answer with certainty on whether mailing items via a PPM is counted against your UAB weight allowance? I am PCSing OCONUS to CONUS and will be mailing ~200 pounds of our stuff to myself at the CONUS location. I always thought that the weight is counted as UAB, but the person answering the phone at TMO is telling me it will count as HHG weight and that I'll still get my full UAB weight allowance. The difference is important, as the movers will be weighing each UAB box and I plan to keep handing them things to pack until I get close to the limit. I don't want to get stuck with the international air freight bill for going 200 lbs over my UAB allowance.

Source? I've seen someone go through this about two years ago and he had to get a secretarial waiver to collect both BAH and OHA. But his request was approved and I believe the justification was similar to di1630's. Early return of dependents is not an option if an assignment notification has already dropped.

Thanks, all. Logic prevailed. According to the JTR, your AO has the discretion to approve TDYs outside of the PDS but within the “local area.” There is a DODI that defines both for DC. The NCR is considered the PDS and that includes just a few counties around DC. The local area includes most of Maryland, much of Virginia, and even a few counties in West Virginia.

Does anyone have something that defines the Pentagon “local area” for the purposes of a TDY IAW JTR 0206? I have a week-long course at Pax River, Maryland, 64 miles from the Pentagon, and the unit finance staff is telling me I have to commute there daily vs staying at a hotel and collecting TDY entitlements. JTR 0206 says that if the TDY is outside of the permanent duty station “local area,” as defined by the “senior commander,” then TDY entitlements are authorized. Thanks in advance.

MOAA makes it very easy to voice your opinion directly to your senators. Took me less than 5 minutes to fill out their form: http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/alert/?alertid=72342626

Anyone ever do a consecutive overseas tour and request partial release of non-temp storage to be shipped to the second location? I can't find anything in the JTR about it.

Chuck, link doesn't work anymore. Would you mind reposting?

6 months in Monterey would be some of the best time of your life. Then again, I believe some European languages are now taught at DLI East (Washington DC). Still not a bad tour to live in DC and have no responsibility except to learn Spanish. These types of deals normally roll down, vs bubble up. In other words, the dude who originally got this probably could no longer do it so they offered it to the next most qualified candidate (according to the rack and stack). So consider that. Agree with other posters that the small schools are generally the most selective and will stand out more in your record than ACSC.

This is one of those things you want to go straight to the top right away. Find out who the SGH is at your servicing MTF and ask him/her for contact info for your servicing EFMP office.

If you've already taken the DLAB, have a good score, and want to make yourself *less* competitive for AFPAK hands, don't forget you can retake the DLAB after 6 months. Sandbag it and your 69 will replace your 169 on your SURF.

I can't believe he hasn't taken it down in light of the negative comments. He really doesn't have any shame.

Just wait until the base decides to have a SIP exercise while you're staying there.

Chang, why are you here? If you are who you say you are, do you really think your words are those of a good leader? Really? Would you follow you?

Unfortunately, I've had to deal with EFMP quite a bit, and still have to deal with it for a non-issue several years ago. Biggest lesson learned--if at all possible, never EVER have your families use the docs at an MTF if it can be avoided at all. Always use Tricare docs on the economy. It's a lot easier to hide their records from the EFMP that way. Any sort of mental health issue is going to you and keep ing you for years. I can't speak to the pregnancy issue, but for your son, you have to ask a couple questions: 1. How badly do you want to go to Ramstein? 2. How much are you willing to pay out of pocket for your son's needed PT and ST? Keep in mind you'll be making a shit-ton of COLA over there. If you want the assignment, start doing everything you possibly can to convince the Air Force that your son no longer needs PT and ST. Pay some docs out of pocket to write it up as such. Go to CVS or Walgreens for this if necessary. Once you get to Ramstein, look for some PT and ST providers on the economy. German kids sometimes need them too, no matter what the USAF thinks. There are probably several spouses in the KMC that are certified in these fields and would love to do it for cash. If you let the system run its course and you crawl through this EFMP shit tunnel, chances are good your son will be denied. USAF will tell you there aren't any/enough PT or ST providers in the Tricare network. It won't matter that you're willing to pay out of pocket. This is assuming the EFMP paste eaters aren't too lazy to look into it before stamping your son denied. Another option is to do it all above board and when he comes back denied, say you want to take the assignment accompanied and get all approved family members added to your orders. Pay out of pocket for your son's plane ticket. He'll be covered under a different Tricare program and you may find that there are in fact eligible PT and ST providers. The trickiest part will be the residency, but I believe others on here have found workarounds. You might also check if he'd be eligible for the DoDDs schools, though I know some people that have sent all their kids to German schools for FREE. Good luck. Send me a PM for more info.

If he is with First Command, you can be sure he is not pushing it for the right reasons.

Great info. Just to clarify, my comments on the SOFA issue are an attempt to address only the criminal jurisdiction element. I assume that's what di1630's concern was.

Keep in mind the stamp is only a means of quickly and conveniently identifying those with SOFA status. The legal basis for the SOFA protections would be contained in the SOFA itself. Should it come down to it in some sort of judicial process, the stamp would mean very little. Both governments would look at the SOFA itself and who it identifies as being entitled to protections.

According to the NATO SOFA, yes (in NATO countries). The SOFA defines a dependent as "the spouse of a member of a force or a civilian component, or a child of such member depending on him or her for support" and I don't see any stipulation that the dependent has to be on your travel orders to enjoy the benefits of the SOFA. Source: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_17265.htm Depending on your assignment and location, you and your dependents might also enjoy diplomatic status under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

This could be easily doable. The EFMP process is risk averse to the point of absurdity. And the presumption that a bunch of mindless bureaucrats care more about the health of your dependent than you do is insulting. Most likely, they can't even find your gaining location on the map. Once you arrive, you'll likely find that there are thousands of American expats in country that are in no way connected to the US government and therefore without Tricare, etc. How are they surviving?! Your non-command sponsored dependent will have more benefits eligibility than you might realize. Read the Tricare documents closely and examine them from a mindset that your family is on vacation to the gaining country. I know of someone that was in a very similar situation. PM me for more details.

Let me ask another way. Sometimes, as a voluntary force shaping tool, USAF waives TIG to 24 months to retire in grade. Does that really motivate anyone to leave the service a year earlier than they otherwise would have? If so, why? What are the advantages to staying in long enough to retire in grade?

Slight derail, but is there any disadvantage to having a lower retired rank than your final active duty rank? I never understood why this 36-month TIG rule would have any effect on retention or any other matters. When it's time to go, it's time to go. Why would someone stay in longer just to have different letters on his retired ID?

I wouldn't be fine with it. Why does it have to be about military pensions vs. civil service pensions? What about the rest of the population? What are they sacrificing if I am giving up $120K in earned benefits?

Wrong again. In the House vote, 169 Republicans voted aye vs 163 Democrats. In the Senate, it was 9 Republicans and 53 Democrats.