MARADMINS : 472/16
R 091740Z SEP 16
MARADMIN 472/16
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA RA//
SUBJ/MCBUL 7220. FISCAL YEAR 2017 (FY17) SELECTED MARINE CORPS RESERVE (SMCR) UNIT RESERVE OFFICER RETENTION BONUS (RORB), FORWARD AIR CONTROLLER (FAC)/AIR OFFICER RETENTION BONUS//
REF/A/MSGID: DOC/DODI 1304.34/YMD: 20160711//
REF/B/MSGID: DOC/CMC/YMD: 20140501//
REF/C/MSGID: DOC/MCTFSPRIUM/YMD: 20120807//
REF/D/MSGID: DOC/MCO 1001R.1L/YMD: 20151223//
NARR/REFERENCE (A) IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSTRUCTION 1304.34 GENERAL BONUS AUTHORITY FOR OFFICERS. REFERENCE (B) IS NAVMC 3500.42B, TACP T AND R MANUAL. REFERENCE (C) IS THE MARINE CORPS TOTAL FORCE SYSTEM PERSONNEL REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL. REFERENCE (D) IS THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT MANUAL (MCRAMM).//
POC/J. POLANCO/GYSGT/RA (RIT)/TEL: (703) 432-9771/EMAIL: SMB-RIT(AT)USMC.MIL//
POC/P. E. KLEMPAY/MAJ/RA (RIT)/TEL: (703) 784-0581/EMAIL: SMB-RIT(AT)USMC.MIL//
POC/S. P. NORTON/CAPT/RA (RAP)/TEL: (703) 784-9135/EMAIL: RAP(AT)USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Purpose. In accordance with (IAW) reference (a), incentives are a critical tool for shaping the inventory of Selected Reserve (SelRes) officers. This message announces the eligibility, application procedures, and reporting procedures for the FY17 SMCR RORB, and FAC/Air Officer Retention Bonus.
2. Bonus amounts
a. The lump sum bonus amounts of 10,000 dollars or 20,000 dollars are for company grade officers joined to an SMCR unit, not currently under obligation, within a valid Billet Identification Code (BIC) by Military Occupational Specialty (MOS).
b. The FY17 20,000 dollar RORB is applicable to the following units for company grade officers with the required Primary MOS (PMOS)/Necessary MOS (NMOS) (read in four columns):
MOS Unit Name City State
0302 H and S Co 1/23 4th MARDIV Ellington TX
0302 H and S Co 3/23 4th MARDIV Bridgeton MO
0302 Rfl Co B 1/23 4th MARDIV Bossier City LA
0302 Weapons Co 1/24 4th MARDIV Perrysburg OH
0302 Rfl Co B 1/24 4th MARDIV Terre Haute IN
0302 Rfl Co F 2/24 4th MARDIV Milwaukee WI
0302 H and S Co 1/24 4th MARDIV Detroit MI
0302 Rfl Co G 2/24 4th MARDIV Madison WI
0302 H and S Co 3/25 4th MARDIV Brookpark OH
0302 Weapons Co 3/25 4th MARDIV North Canton G1 OH
0302 Rfl Co K 3/25 4th MARDIV Pittsburgh PA
0303 LAR Co B 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Ft Detrick MD
0303 LAR Co E 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Syracuse NY
0802 HQ Btry 14th Mar Regt 4th MARDIV Fort Worth TX
0802 Arty Btry M 3/14 4th MARDIV Chattanooga TN
0802 Rkt Btry K 2/14 4th MARDIV Huntsville AL
0802 6th ANGLICO FHG MARFORRES Ft Lewis WA
0802 4th ANGLICO FHG MARFORRES W Palm Beach FL
1802 Tank Co D 4th Tank Bn 4th MARDIV Twentynine Palms CA
c. The FY17 10,000 dollar RORB is applicable to the following units for company grade officers with the required PMOS/NMOS (read in four columns):
MOS Unit Name City State
0302 DET 4th FORECON Co 4th MARDIV Kaneohe Bay HI
0302 Weapons Co 1/23 4th MARDIV Austin TX
0302 Rfl Co C 1/23 4th MARDIV Corpus Christi TX
0302 H and S Co 2/23 4th MARDIV Pasadena CA
0302 H and S Co 1/25 4th MARDIV Ft Devens MA
0302 Weapons Co 2/25 4th MARDIV Garden City NY
0302 Rfl Co I 3/23 4th MARDIV N. Little Rock AR
0302 Rfl Co C 1/24 4th MARDIV Lansing MI
0302 H and S Co 2/24 4th MARDIV Chicago IL
0302 Rfl Co E 2/24 4th MARDIV Des Moines IA
0302 Weapons Co 2/24 4th MARDIV Ft Sheridan IL
0302 Rfl Co C 1/25 4th MARDIV Buffalo NY
0302 Rfl Co F 2/25 4th MARDIV Plainville CT
0303 H and S Co 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Camp Pendleton CA
0303 LAR Co A 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Camp Pendleton CA
0303 LAR Co C 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Camp Williams UT
0303 LAR Co D 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Quantico VA
0303 LAR Co F 4th LAR Bn 4th MARDIV Columbia SC
0402 HQ Co CLR 4 4th MLG Kansas City MO
0402 H and S Co CLB-23 4th MLG Ft Lewis WA
0602 HQ Co 6th Comm Bn FHG MARFORRES Brooklyn NY
0602 GS Comm Co 6th Comm Bn FHG MARFORRES Brooklyn NY
0802 HQ Btry 3/14 4th MARDIV Bristol PA
0802 Arty Btry H 3/14 4th MARDIV Richmond VA
1302 H and S Co 4th CEB 4th MARDIV Baltimore MD
1802 Tank Co F 4th Tank Bn 4th MARDIV Camp Lejeune NC
1803 H and S Co 4th AAV Bn 4th MARDIV Tampa FL
5803 MP Co C 4th Law Enf Bn Wright Patterson OH
d. FAC/Air Officer. The bonus amount is 20,000 dollars lump sum for officers assigned to infantry battalions, infantry regiments, and Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies (ANGLICOs).
3. Eligibility requirements
a. RORB eligibility requirements. Commissioned company grade officers, including officers currently serving in a SMCR unit who meet the MOS requirements in paragraph 2.
(1) Officers serving in the Active Component (AC), Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), Active Reserve (AR), or Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) programs are eligible to request this incentive once joined to an incentivized SMCR unit and valid BIC. Current members of the SMCR must be within 90 days of completing their current drilling obligation, or have completed any required service and be serving in a RA (RAP) validated BIC commensurate with the officers grade and MOS prior to application submission. SMCR officers conducting an Inter-Unit Transfer (IUT) may request the RORB in conjunction with the IUT. Adjudication of the RORB by RA (RCT) will occur concurrently to the IUT approval by Reserve Affairs (RA). Units must include a completed Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) IUT request checklist, submitted with the Total Force Retention System (TFRS) request as an attachment. The IUT checklist must be endorsed by the gaining command. Current IUT checklists are available from MARFORRES G-1 Manpower section.
(2) Prior service AC or AR officers must be released from active duty under honorable conditions.
(3) Reserve officers must not have more than a four year break in service from the AC or last SelRes assignment at the time the RORB is accepted.
(4) SMCR officers that were commissioned via the Reserve Officer Commissioning Programs (OCC-R, RECP, and MCP-R) must be within 90 days of, or have already passed their mandatory drill participation stop date (MDPSD). The RORB three year retention obligation is in addition to any remaining mandatory participation requirement.
(5) IMAs are eligible, regardless of the time remaining in their IMA tour. Upon approval by RA (RAM), officers will be released from their IMA tour and assigned to the gaining SMCR unit.
(6) Requests for the bonus must be received by RA (RCT) no later than 21 August 2017. Officers must obtain RA (RCT) bonus approval prior to 1 September 2017 and accept payment within 60 days or prior to 25 September 2017, whichever comes first. Direct affiliation participants must first join the approved BIC and SMCR unit prior to 25 September 2017 to be eligible for the bonus. Failure to join to the approved BIC and SMCR unit, and accept the Reenlistment Extension Lateral Move (RELM) within this window, will result in bonus revocation, except in conjunction with a Lateral Move (LatMov), as specified in paragraph 5 below.
(7) In order to receive a retention bonus with a particular unit, the unit must not be scheduled to be disestablished or placed in cadre status within three years from the date of unit assignment.
(8) Not be in receipt of, or entitled to receive retirement or retainer pay.
(9) Marine must serve in a valid BIC as a grade and MOS match (N-grade of one up and one down will normally be authorized).
(10) Captains selected for promotion to major, captains in zone for promotion to major, lieutenants or captains passed for promotion, and lieutenants or captains in the above zone while in the Reserve Component (RC), are not eligible for this incentive.
(11) Eligibility requirements may be waived by RA (RAP) based on emergent needs of the Marine Corps Reserve.
b. FAC/Air Officer Retention Bonus eligibility requirements
(1) Commissioned company grade officers, and majors with less than four years time in grade (TIG) joined to an SMCR unit with a valid FAC or Air Officer BIC.
(2) The officer must possess the Additional MOS (AMOS) of 7502 and have a minimum of 12 months of currency remaining from their most recent 18 month evaluation IAW reference (b) certification.
(3) Aviators who do not possess the AMOS 7502 must submit a RELM via a Prior Service Recruiter (PSR)/Career Planner (CP) request to attend the Amphibious Tactical Air Control Party Course offered at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado, California or NAB Little Creek, Virginia in accordance with MARADMIN 403/16. RA (RCT) will execute payment upon completion of the required course, and the AMOS reported in Marine Corps Total Force System (MCTFS). School seats are limited and may not be available for all units.
(4) Lieutenants or captains passed for promotion while in the RC, and lieutenants or captains in the above zone while in the RC, are not eligible for this incentive.
(5) Application procedures. The TFRS request must include training documentation verifying the officers graduation date from Amphibious Tactical Air Control Party Course or most recent 18 month evaluation if applicable.
(6) Aviators who are between 30 to 42 months since their last successful evaluation (or original certification) may apply for the FAC/Air Officer Retention Bonus after joining the unit, provided they complete recertification prior to expiration of the 24 month window (e.g., 42 months since their last successful evaluation or original certification).
(7) Recipients must serve in a FAC or Air Officer BIC in the assigned unit for three years.
(8) Recipients must remain current and complete an evaluation every 18 months IAW reference (b). Remaining current will require up to five days of active duty or up to 10 additional paid drills every six months.
(9) Time previously served at the unit will not be applied toward the obligation specified in the statement of understanding (SOU).
(10) In addition to the recoupment triggers outlined in paragraph 7 below, recoupment will be initiated if the officer is assigned to a BIC other than a FAC or Air Officer. Recoupment will be initiated by the unit if the officer does not successfully complete an 18 month evaluation.
4. Administrative guidance (governing RORB and FAC/Air Officer Retention Bonuses)
a. PSR will submit incentive requests to RA (RCT) for AC and IRR Marines effective the day the applicant joins the unit as funds are available. Unit CPs will submit the request for Marines that are current members of the AR, SMCR and IMA Marines requesting to IUT to an SMCR unit. Payment of this incentive is a five-step process involving the following:
(1) An SOU validation by RA (RCT),
(2) Issuance of a bonus control number (BCN) by RA (RCT),
(3) Acceptance of the incentive via TFRS RELM,
(4) Unit diary reporting of the obligation by RA (RCT), and
(5) Routine unit diary entries by the SMCR units S-1 (join, reserve BIC, bonus Program Enlisted For (PEF) code, bonus entry).
b. All requests must be submitted via the TFRS to RA (RCT).
c. A signed SOU must be submitted with the TFRS request prior to issuance of a bonus.
(1) An SOU can be retrieved via TFRS, or by visiting the Manpower and Reserve Affairs website at www.manpower.usmc.mil. In the search box, enter keyword "RORB". Select "RORB" then select "RORB SOU" for the appropriate FY.
(2) A valid SOU will contain the members name and Electronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier (EDIPI), all unit information, BIC information, PMOS/Initial MOS, and appropriate signatures. If the SOU is missing any required data, it will be returned to the appropriate unit for corrective action.
d. RA (RCT) will adjudicate and return the officer incentive request via TFRS to the originator (PSR/CP) with the following items:
(1) RA (RCT) endorsed SOU with bonus approval or disapproval.
(2) Incentive administrative reporting guidance document.
e. Once the officer incentive request is accepted in TFRS, the following actions are required:
(1) The originator must:
(a) Enter the acceptance date in TFRS.
(b) Provide the endorsed SOU, incentive administrative reporting guidance document, and the TFRS approval to the units administrative section for appropriate action.
(2) RA (RCT) will ensure that the appropriate obligation remark is reported in MCTFS per reference (c) which will allow for the payment to process.
(3) The units administrative section must:
(a) Verify MCTFS D302 screen to validate posting of the obligation remark.
(b) Report the reserve BIC via the Inventory Development Management System (IDMS), bonus PEF code and applicable bonus entry per the incentive administrative reporting guidance document via the Unit Diary/Marine Integrated Personnel System (UD/MIPS).
(c) E-mail the RA (RCT) endorsed SOU to Manpower Management Records and Performance (MMRP) Branch for inclusion into the members Official Military Personnel File to smb.manpower.mmsb(at)usmc.mil.
f. Payment will execute upon completion of all MCTFS reporting and posting requirements IAW reference (c).
g. In the event the Marine does not accept the bonus approval or join with the SMCR unit, the originator must notify RA (RCT) via organizational mailbox, SMB-RIT(at)usmc.mil.
h. Waiver requests with all required endorsements will be routed to RA and submitted as an attachment to the TFRS request at the time of submission. Waiver requests submitted from PSR will include Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruiting Command (MCRC) endorsement via MCRC OPS G-3. Waiver requests submitted from CPs will include the members chain of command endorsements to include Commander, MARFORRES. RA (RAP) will approve/disapprove waiver requests in the adjudication process of the TFRS request.
i. Must associate with the gaining unit (if not already joined to an eligible unit/BIC) between 1 October 2016 and 1 September 2017.
j. All approved bonuses must be paid by 25 September 2017.
k. Marines in receipt of this bonus are required to waive the reasonable commuting distance requirement (if applicable) per reference (d).
5. Retraining in conjunction with the RORB or FAC/Air Officer Retention Bonus
a. Requests for assignment to the SMCR LatMov program must be submitted and approved by RA (RCT) prior to the Marine joining or agreeing to remain with the SMCR unit.
b. Marines assigned to the SMCR LatMov program must report for formal MOS training within 180 days of association with the contracted SMCR unit. Failure to meet this deadline will result in ineligibility for the applicable incentive, and may result in transfer to the IRR.
c. If a Marine is accepted to the SMCR LatMov program, payment of the applicable incentive will not be received until MOS training is complete.
d. A selection to major will disqualify an officer from retraining eligibility, with the exception of civil affairs, naval aviators approved for transition or conversion by the Deputy Commandant for Aviation or the Commanding General, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, and officers transitioning to the 0202 PMOS.
e. The training requirements will not be waived.
6. Obligation
a. Recipients of either of these incentives will incur a three year obligation to the SMCR beginning on the date they joined with their unit or signed the SOU, whichever is later. The three year service obligation of officers who submit for the bonus during the last 90 days of their current SMCR obligation will not run concurrent. The new three year obligation will begin upon completion of the current obligation. Contractual time previously served will not be applied towards the new contractual obligation.
b. Recipients must serve in a BIC commensurate with their grade and MOS at the joining unit for three years. Requests for IUT must be adjudicated by RA (RAP). RA (RCT) will be notified and the D302 MCTFS remarks updated in the case of a Marine who is later assigned to a different BIC.
c. Officers who have transferred their Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill-SelRes education benefits to a dependent or spouse in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 1341.13 and Section 16132a of Title 10, U.S.C., are eligible for a retention bonus in accordance with reference (a).
7. Recoupment. Recoupment will occur on a prorated basis if the officer:
a. Fails to fulfill the three year service obligation.
b. Executes a subsequent lateral move without RA (RAP) approval.
c. Changes BICs without RA (RAP) approval.
d. Executes an IUT without RA (RAP) approval.
e. Performs Active Duty Operational Support (ADOS) with a unit other than their own for a period greater than 90 cumulative days per FY without prior approval by RA (RAP). Acceptance of ADOS orders to attend Expeditionary Warfighting School (or career-level PME) and Command and Staff (or intermediate-level PME) will not count towards this 90 days but will require the extension of the MDPSD by the same number of days covered by the school ADOS orders.
f. Accesses to the AC or the AR program.
g. Elects to transfer to the IMA program, not due to Force Structure Review Group (FSRG) or Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) IAW paragraph 6b.
h. Transfers to another service.
i. Resigns his or her commission.
8. Requests for early release or deferment of the three year service obligation shall be submitted to RA (RAP).
9. Taxes are applied to this incentive, and shall not be paid out while member is on active duty orders.
10. Incentives will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted, or existing unit shortfalls are overcome. Availability of funds will be updated periodically via TFRS message as required.
11. Direct liaison is authorized between SMCR units and RA.
12. This bulletin cancels on 30 September 2017.
13. Release authorized by Colonel J. M. Morrisroe, Director, Reserve Affairs Division, Acting.//