WASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 15, 2008) - In an effort to encourage more mid-grade officers to remain in service, the Army is again offering a "menu of incentives" for active-component captains that includes options for a cash bonus, attendance at graduate school or the Defense Language Institute.
"The Army recognizes the tremendous experience and professionalism of the captains serving in our Army today," said Col. Brian Baldy, director of Officer Personnel Management, Human Resources Command. "This program is an effort to retain these great officers as the Army transforms and grows. We need to retain these quality officers and this program is being executed to do just that."
The incentives are available to eligible captains from April 7 through Nov. 30.
The program is essentially the same as last year, HRC officials said, with minor changes: First, active-component category officers and select Medical Service Corps and Army Nurse Corps officers in basic year group 2005 will now be eligible to participate. Qualifying officers in year groups 1999 through 2004 who did not participate in the first program will still remain eligible. Second, the branch of choice, post of choice and Ranger School options will not be offered.
The menu of options available this year are:
1) The cash option, payable in the same $25,000, $30,000, or $35,000 tiers based on the officer's accessed branch;
2) The Expanded Graduate School Program option, which is fully funded graduate school; or
3) The Defense Language School option, based upon a pre-Defense Language Aptitude Battery score.
An eligible officer will only be able to select one option in exchange for a three- year non-concurrent active-duty service obligation if accepting the cash option, or a 3:1 active-duty service obligation in the case of accepting the expanded graduate school program or attendance at the Defense Language Institute.
Human Resources Command estimates that about 8,400 officers will be eligible to participate in this year's program.
Officers must be in the rank of captain in order to participate. Promotable first lieutenants must wait and submit upon promotion to captain, HRC officials said. They said officers in year groups 1999 through 2001 who will become promotable to major during this time frame must submit their request prior to their effective date of promotion.
Last year 67 percent - 12,000 of 17,700 eligible captains - participated in the incentives program offered in November 2007. Several hundred officers from that same population who did not participate also expressed an interest in the incentives after the window closed, HRC sources said.
Of those officers who did participate in the last "menu of incentives" program, 94% of those 12,000 chose the Critical Skills Retention Bonus, known as CSRB. About 3 percent chose the opportunity to change branches, and the remaining 3 percent elected to take the graduate school, post of choice or military schooling options.
If the MILPER message does not answer all of an officer's questions, additional questions can be addressed to the branch manager at HRC. Alternate means are to e-mail HRC directly at OPMDRetention@conus.army.mil or visit HRC's Web site at <a href="https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/protect/Active/opfamdd/LDD_Home.htm"target=_blank>https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/protect/Active/opfamdd/LDD_Home.htm.</a>
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