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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas — A quality force review board will convene here May 5-16 to consider eligible Airmen for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced recently.
The board is one of several fiscal 2014 force management programs that have been or will be implemented to help achieve manpower and force structure goals as the service focuses on 2015 and beyond, said Lt. Col. Rick Garcia, the AFPC retirements and separations branch chief.
The board will consider Airmen with fewer than 18 years, or with 20 years or more of service as of Sept. 30, 2014, who have specific negative reporting identifiers, reenlistment eligibility codes, assignment availability codes or grade status reasons.
Those identifiers, indicators, codes and reasons include awaiting retraining due to disqualification, awaiting discharge for cause, current referral performance report, grade reduction, rank not commensurate with years of service, five or more days lost time, career field skill level not commensurate with grade, serving a suspended Article 15 punishment, serving on control roster, poor fitness assessment, disqualified Airmen (for cause) returned to duty program and denied reenlistment.
Airmen who have 20 or more years of active service who are not selected for retention must retire by Oct. 1, 2014.
“Non-selected Airmen eligible to retire must apply for retirement as, by law, service members must apply for retirement,” Garcia said. “It’s not automatically given.”
Airmen with fewer than 18 years of active service who are not selected for retirement must separate by Sept. 29, 2014. Affected Airmen may request separation or retirement rather than meet the board.
“Some Airmen, those with 15-to-18 years of service as of July 31, 2014, may be eligible for the Temporary Early Retirement Authority Program, so they may want to consider applying for TERA in lieu of meeting the board,” Garcia said.
Unit commanders or senior raters will prepare enlisted retention recommendation forms for all board-eligible Airmen assigned to their units as of Dec. 19, 2013, and at least 30 days before the board, will provide copies of the recommendation forms to affected Airmen. A copy of the form will also be available for review in each affected Airman’s records; those Airmen will get a message from AFPC to let them know when the form is viewable.
“If you have not received your copy of the retention form by April 5, contact your commander, and don’t wait until you get the message to review your records,” Garcia advised. “You should review your records now to make sure the information is accurate. If it isn’t, you’ll still have time to update your records before the board.”
Airmen slated to meet the board may also submit a letter to the board to address any matter of record they believe merits consideration.
Letters must have Airmen’s signatures, not electronic signature blocks. Letters, addressed to the fiscal 2014 enlisted quality force review board, must reach AFPC before midnight April 25.
Although voluntary separation pay will not be offered, Airmen with six through 15 years of active service who are not selected for retention will receive full separation pay.
All separating and retiring Airmen must attend a transition assistance program offered at their local Airman and Family Readiness Center. TAP includes congressionally-mandated pre-separation counseling, a required five-day TAP workshop, veterans benefit briefings that include details on disability, one-on-one assistance to develop an individual transition plan and a capstone, which requires commander concurrence that the member has met all career readiness standards.
Other related services include employment resources, financial planning and management, spouse employment assistance, relocation assistance and general information and referral.
“We highly encourage all Airmen affected by force management programs to sign up early for a TAP class,” Garcia said. “Force management coupled with routine separations and retirements activity will have a significant impact on availability, so waiting until you learn the results of the board may prevent you from getting into a conveniently-scheduled class.”
