APRIL 17, 2020 – The Navy has released the mid-2020 Selective Reenlistment Bonus offerings and the news is good for many Sailors in key skillsets looking to stay in and cash out.
With a total bonus budget of $382.7 million this fiscal year, $230.1 million is available for new contracts. As of March 24th, 4,225 Sailors across reenlistment zones A, B and C have taken home $77 million in initial payments. An additional 1,253 applications are pending approval with another $18M earmarked for these Sailors pending final approval.
Now the service is sweetening the pot with the release of NAVADMIN 108/20 on April 15.
“Navy is expanding the reenlistment window for all SRB-eligible Sailors regardless of skillset. Instead of waiting until a Sailor is within 270 days of their End of Active Obligated Service, Sailors can now reenlist as far out as 365 days, providing additional flexibility and stability in their lives and careers,” said Capt. Angela Katson, head of enlisted plans and policy for the chief of naval personnel.
“Although overall enlisted retention is high, the Navy continues to use the Selective Reenlistment Bonus program to offer competitive financial incentives to Sailors in needed skillsets across the Fleet,” Katson added.
By expanding the window to a full year before end of service dates, Katson said, the Navy will add roughly 10,000 new Sailors to the over 25,000 Sailors already in the SRB-eligible ranks.
Another piece of good news for Sailors is there was a recent addition of 27 new skillsets to the SRB-eligible list. That means the current total of skillsets – rating and Navy Enlisted Classification and years of service combinations – is up to 102 across re-up zones A, B and C.
Zone A covers Sailors with up to six years of service. Zone B runs from six years to 10. Zone C then takes Sailors from 10 years up to 14 years.
Among the recent arrivals to the list are Aviation Boatswain’s Mate, Launch and Recovery, with offerings in Zones A and B, while fellow aviation rating Aviation Electrician’s Mates has recently added offerings for Zones A and C.
Meanwhile in the Surface Navy, Electrician’s Mates with the U35A skillset, Ships Surface Electrical Advanced Maintenance, were recently offered bonuses in Zone B. The same goes for all surface Sonar Technician as well as Information Systems Technicians with the H09A Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services skillset.
That’s not all. A total of 21 skillsets already on the list also recently saw an increase in payout levels. Another 25 saw a reduction while 29 skillsets stayed the same. The good news here is that no skillsets were eliminated.
The list is dynamic, meaning that changes can occur as skillsets approach or meet their retention goals. Check out the current list at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/pay-and-benefits, then click on the SRB tab.
Sailors should direct any technical questions about the program and eligibility to their command career counselor, who is authorized to contact BUPERS-328 at Navy Personnel Command to get an answer. In addition, many questions may be answered in NAVADMIN 108/20.
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By MC1 Mark D. Faram, Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs