Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Ashley Estrella | Sailors aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) take the oath of reenlistment, March...... read more read more
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2.5 million dollars was awarded to a total of approximately 70 Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in selected reenlistment bonus (SRB) payouts in March, and it isn’t too late for Ike Sailors eligible for SRB reenlistments to reap similar benefits.
Originally scheduled to be in a tax-free zone for the month of March only, Ike’s career counselors pushed for eligible Sailors to take advantage of the opportunity and reenlist.
“By planning ahead, we were able to forecast being in a tax-free zone and put it out to all of our departmental counselors,” said Navy Counselor 1st Class Robert Brooks, a career counselor aboard Ike. “At first, we focused on everyone who was going to be eligible in March. Because of what we’re doing and where we are in the world, April is guaranteed to be tax-free. If you didn’t get your reenlistment in March, you still have an opportunity.”
Not everyone is eligible for SRB reenlistment bonuses. To see if they’re eligible, Sailors can go to Naval Personnel Command’s (NPC) website and check their rate.
“SRBs are incentives used to maintain desired manning and specific trainees of Naval Enlisted Classifications,” said Personnel Specialist 1st Class Victoria Woodworth. “They can go to NPC and look at the current SRB levels to see if they’re eligible. We don’t have any special criteria we set, it’s all up to NPC.”
While all of Ike personnel’s Sailors are trained in the subject, Personnel Specialist Seaman Callie Conner works exclusively with reenlistments and extensions. She was recently rated and just began her time as a personnel specialist when Ike deployed. With the surge of SRB reenlistments due to Ike being in a tax-free zone, she was able to jump in and learn the process quickly and said she is available should anyone need guidance during the process.
“I just started. I was undesignated before and March was a crazy time to start,” said Conner. “It’s certainly different than what I was doing before. I really have to focus on the small details of everything because this is somebody’s future, but I really like the challenge and responsibility. Anyone with questions is welcome to come talk to me.”
While the future may hold some uncertainty, the reenlistments team is working to iron out the details and help as many Ike Sailors reap the benefits as possible.
“You need to be flexible. If you want to reenlist, do it now and submit your paperwork,” said Woodworth. “However, you have to submit at least 35 days prior to your reenlistment, so if you’re just now thinking about it, you’re behind the curve.”
It’s not too late for Ike Sailors to take advantage of the opportunity, however. Brooks, Woodworth and Conner all urged Sailors to act now if they are eligible.
“Absolutely you should consider reenlisting now,” said Conner. “Being in a tax-free zone should be enough for someone to want to do it now. If I could, I would. It’s a big difference in earnings when there’s no tax. When I went through it before, I earned a reenlistment bonus of $10,000 but I only got $7,000 because of taxes. It’s smart to do it now.”
Personnel specialists and Navy counselors both are afforded the opportunity to be hands-on with Sailors during major career and life events. With so many reenlistments during this deployment, the team agreed that they enjoyed the experience of being able to help so many Sailors.
“SRBs are one of my favorite things to do,” said Brooks. “It is one of the only tangible things that come from my job. Of course, I don’t get any money, but it’s nice to get that for someone else. Not everyone knows they’re eligible for SRB, so if you’re able to get someone $12,000 to $18,000 that they weren’t expecting - that makes a huge difference. I enjoy being able to present someone with the most information I can so that they can determine exactly what they want to do with their career.”
Sailors interested in reenlisting should begin by talking to their departmental career counselors. If they have questions, they can also speak with the command career counselors or visit personnel. All paperwork should be submitted to the career counselors 35 days prior to their reenlistment.
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2020 05:54 |
| Story ID: | 368842 |
| Location: | ARABIAN SEA |
| Web Views: | 217 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Reenlistment for the Biscuit, by PO1 Devin Lowe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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