R 161231Z OCT 17
MARADMIN 575/17
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MP//
SUBJ/CONTINUATION PAY PROGRAM FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2018 FOR BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM (BRS) PARTICIPANTS//
REF/A/DOC/MCBUL/20170618//
REF/B/DOC/DON/20170427//
REF/C/DOC/MCO/20131126//
REF/D/MSG/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA/091726Z DEC 16//
AMPN/REF A IS MCBUL 1800, THE MARINE CORPS BRS POLICY. REF B IS THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY BRS IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE. REF C IS MCO 1900.16, THE MARINE CORPS SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL (MARCORSEPMAN) WITH CHANGE 1 INCORPORATED. REF D IS MARADMIN 644/16, BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM (BRS) OPT-IN ELIGIBLE POPULATION.//
POC/RON GARNER/MAJ/UNIT: MPO/TEL: 703-784-9563/EMAIL: RONALD.T.GARNER@USMC.MIL/UNIT: RA/TEL: 703-432-9066/EMAIL: RAP@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  To announce the Continuation Pay (CP) Program for Calendar Year (CY) 2018, and to provide supplemental guidance to enclosure 4 of reference (a).  Marines not enrolled in the BRS are not eligible to receive CP.
2.  Background.  Per the references, the BRS goes into effect 1 January 2018.  Marines with a Date of Original Entry Armed Forces on or before 31 December 2017 are grandfathered into the High-Three legacy retirement system.  Beginning on 1 January 2018, Marines who are in the opt-in eligible population, defined in references (a) and (d), are authorized to enroll in the BRS.  Marines who enroll in the BRS and later complete 12 years of service (YOS) may be eligible to receive a one-time CP payment in exchange for an agreement to serve four (4) additional years of obligated service.  For the purpose of CP eligibility, 12 YOS is defined as 12 years and zero days of service as calculated from the Marine’s PEBD.
3.  CP Eligibility.  In CY 2018, Marines enrolled in the BRS before completing 12 YOS and meeting the requirements of the below sub paragraphs are eligible for CP.  Marines who enroll in the BRS after having completed 12 YOS will not be eligible for CP.
3.A.  Active Component and Active Reserve.  Marines issued orders to separate from the Marine Corps are not eligible to receive CP.  Eligible Marines must agree to serve an additional four (4) year commitment to qualify for CP.
3.B.  Reserve Component other than Active Reserve.  Eligible Reserve Marines in a paid status who have not been issued orders to separate from the Marine Corps, and who are eligible to enter into a agreement to serve an additional four (4) year Selected Reserve commitment, qualify for CP.  For the purpose of CP, Reserve Marines in a paid status are those affiliated with the Selected Reserve or on active duty orders on the day they complete 12 YOS.  Such Reserve Marines are not required to be performing duty on the day they complete 12 YOS.
4.  Timing of Payment.  The effective date of payment will be 12 YOS.  The disbursement of CP is authorized to be made upon or after the completion of 12 YOS.  The goal is to disburse payment within 30 days after completing 12 YOS.
5.  Amount of payment.
5.A.  Active Component and Active Reserve Marines.  CP is 2.5 times monthly basic pay at the over 12 YOS monthly basic pay rate.  For example, using the 2017 basic pay table, the gross amount of CP for a staff sergeant at 12 YOS would be 3,688.20 dollars times 2.5 equals 9,220.50 dollars.  This amount is subject to federal and state tax withholdings.
5.B.  Reserve Component Marines other than Active Reserve.  CP is 0.5 times monthly basic pay, based on active duty base pay, at the rate of over 12 YOS monthly basic pay.  For example, using the 2017 basic pay table, the gross amount of CP for a staff sergeant at 12 YOS would be 3,688.20 dollars times 0.5 equals 1,844.10 dollars, also subject to federal and state tax withholdings.
6.  Payment options.  Marines who qualify for CP must decide if they want to receive payment in the form of a single payment or annual installments, up to a maximum of four (2, 3, or 4 equal installments) be paid on the anniversary of their first payment.  The payment option is selected when completing the CP Statement of Understanding (SOU).
7.  Notification of eligibility for CP during CY 2018.
7.A.  Marines who will complete 12 YOS in CY 2018 have the entire calendar year to make a BRS opt-in decision.  However, to qualify for CP, Marines must enroll in the BRS before completing 12 YOS.  The effective date of a BRS opt-in decision is the date a Marine enters their decision in Marine Online (MOL) or signs the BRS election form (to be used by exception in unusual circumstances).
7.B.  Marines who reach 12 YOS in CY 2018 will receive notification of their eligibility via e-mail and MOL message on or about 15 October 2017.  Further, such Marines will receive another MOL message 30 days before completing 12 YOS.
8.  CP payment procedures for the Active Component and Active Reserve.  The following procedures apply to Marines who enroll in the BRS during CY 2018 and will complete 12 YOS prior to the end of CY 2018.  Marines who do not enroll in the BRS are not required to sign the SOU or follow the procedures described below.
8.A.  Marines who enroll in the BRS must sign the SOU accepting or declining CP before completing 12 YOS.  Marines who decline CP will submit the SOU to their unit administrative office.  The unit administrative office will send a scanned copy of the SOU to the Marine’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) via email to MMRP-20 at smb.manpower.mmrp@usmc.mil.
8.B.  Marines accepting CP will submit their SOU to their Installation Personnel Administration Center (IPAC)/unit administrative office through their normal routing chain of command via Electronic Personnel Action Request (EPAR) or e-mail if required.  Marines must submit the SOU prior to completing 12 YOS.
8.C.  The IPAC/unit administrative office will review the SOU to validate completeness and accuracy and forward the SOU as an attachment to a NAVMC 11116 within the Document Tracking Management System (DTMS) to their disbursing office.  Also, unit administrative office will send a scanned copy of the SOU to the Marines’ OMPF via email to MMRP-20 at smb.manpower.mmrp@usmc.mil.
8.D.  The disbursing office will make payment via diary entry (TTC 694).
8.E.  Payment will be disbursed via Electronic Funds Transfer as applicable during normal pay cycles.
9.  CP payment procedures for the Reserve Component other than Active Reserve.  The following procedures apply to Reserve Marines who enroll in the BRS during CY 2018 and will complete 12 YOS prior to the end of CY 2018.  Reserve Marines who do not enroll in the BRS are not required to sign the SOU or follow the procedures described below.
9.A.  Reserve Marines who enroll in the BRS must sign the CP SOU accepting or rejecting CP before completing 12 YOS.  Reserve Marines who decline CP will submit the SOU to their unit administrative office.  The unit administrative office will send a scanned copy of the SOU to the Marine’s OMPF via email to MMRP-20 at smb.manpower.mmrp@usmc.mil.
9.B.  Unit administrative offices will send a copy of the SOU for those Marines accepting CP to Resources Fiscal Finance-Kansas City’s organizational mail box at ERR2-TSO_MCPRD_SUPV_&_leadsdl@mcw.usmc.mil.
9.C.  Reserve Marines who request CP must submit the original SOU to their unit Career Retention Specialist (CRS) in order to gain the required obligated service.
9.D.  The unit CRS will submit a request for additional contractual time to M&RA(RCT) for processing and adjudication via the Total Force Retention System.
9.E.  M&RA(RCT) will approve or disapprove the additional contractual time and return approval authority for execution at unit level to the unit CRS.
9.F.  The unit CRS will provide the executed approval authority to the Reserve Marine’s unit administrative office which will run a unit diary entry to change the Marine’s Reserve End of Current Contract (RECC).
9.G.  RFF-KCI Reserve Disbursing Office will make payment of CP via diary entry (TTC 694).
9.H.  Payment of CP will be disbursed via Electronic Funds Transfer on the next pay cycle.
10.  Marines who receive CP and do not fulfill their additional obligated service are subject to recoupment as described in reference (a).
11.  CP SOUs and other support materials are available on the Marine Corps website for BRS (https:(SLASH)(SLASH)www.manpower.usmc.mil/BRS) or email your questions to BRS@usmc.mil.
12.  This MARADMIN is applicable to the Marine Corps Total Force.
13.  Release authorized by LtGen Michael A. Rocco, Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs.//