UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 201541Z DEC 17 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// NAVADMIN 302/17 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/DEC// SUBJ/NOTIFICATION OF THE START OF THE BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM ENROLLMENT PERIOD AND ENROLLMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPT-IN ELIGIBLE SERVICE MEMBERS// REF/A/DOC/NDAA/13APR15// REF/B/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/271444ZSEP16// REF/C/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/281546ZNOV16// REF/D/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/311929ZJAN17// REF/E/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/062134ZJUN17// NARR/REF A IS SECTIONS 631 THROUGH 635 OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT, SUBTITLE D - DISABILITY PAY, RETIRED PAY, AND SURVIVOR BENEFITS. REF B IS NAVADMIN 217/16, ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM FOR THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. REF C IS NAVADMIN 259/16, NOTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY TO OPT-IN TO THE BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM. REF D IS NAVADMIN 020/17, NOTIFICATION OF AVAILABILITY OF THE BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM OPT-IN TRAINING. REF E IS NAVADMIN 133/17, NOTIFICATION OF AVAILABILITY OF THE BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM OPT-IN COMPARISON CALCULATOR.// RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the Blended Retirement System (BRS) enrollment period for opt-in eligible service members will be open from 1 January 2018 until 31 December 2018, in line with references (a) through (e). During this window, opt-in eligible service members may enroll in the BRS via the myPay website. Opt-in eligible service members who do not choose to enroll in BRS will remain in the current legacy retirement system. However, if a service member elects to enroll in the BRS, that election is irrevocable. 2. In line with references (a) and (c), opt-in eligibility is as follows: a. Active Component (AC) service members are opt-in eligible if their Date Initially Entered Military Service (DIEMS) is on or before 31 December 2017, and they have less than 12 years of service (YOS) as of 31 December 2017, based on their Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD). b. Reserve Component (RC) service members, to include Full Time Support (FTS) members, are opt-in eligible if their DIEMS is on or before 31 December 2017 and they have accumulated fewer than 4,320 retirement points as of 31 December 2017. c. United States Naval Academy (USNA), Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Midshipmen, and Delayed Entry Program (DEP) members are opt-in eligible if their DIEMS is on or before 31 December 2017, and they have less than 12 years of service (YOS) as of 31 December 2017, based on their PEBD. 3. As outlined in references (b) through (e), whether an opt-in eligible service member chooses to enroll in the BRS or not, training is mandatory for all opt-in eligible service members and must be completed by 31 December 2017. All Navy commands shall ensure that opt-in eligible service members complete the Blended Retirement System Opt-In Course and log completion in the Fleet Training Management and Planning System (FLTMPS). If the BRS Opt- In Course is completed in a classroom setting, commands must ensure that training is manually documented in FLTMPS. 4. To enroll in the BRS during the 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 enrollment period, opt-in eligible service members must be in a paid status. If a service member meets eligibility criteria in paragraph 2, but is not in a paid status during the election window, that service member will be given an opportunity to enroll during their first period of paid status. Additionally, hardship extensions to the enrollment window for opt-in eligible service members who are unable to enroll in BRS during the 2018 enrollment period will be considered on a case-by-case basis per reference (a). Midshipmen who are opt-in eligible and commissioned after 1 December 2018 will be given 30 days to opt-in following reporting to their first duty station. Delayed Entry Program (DEP) personnel who are opt-in eligible and report to Recruit Training Command (RTC) after 1 December 2018 will be given 30 days to opt-in. 5. Enrollment in the BRS can only be completed on the myPay website (https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx) and will be conducted in accordance with procedures promulgated separately by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Prior to making the election to enroll in the BRS, members of the Navy who are eligible to opt-in and who choose to enroll in the BRS will be required to affirm on the myPay website that they have completed the mandatory opt-in training and that they acknowledge and understand that the decision to enroll in the BRS is irrevocable. 6. Those opt-in eligible service members who have an up-to-date email address in Navy Standard Integrated Personal System (NSIPS) will receive an email notification concerning their opt-in eligibility. Additionally, commands should notify all opt-in eligible Service members within their command that they are eligible to enroll in the BRS and that the opt-in window will open on 1 January 2018. To facilitate this notification, command administration departments must contact their supporting personnel office on a regular basis to access a list of all opt-in eligible service members within their command. 7. To ensure all AC opt-in eligible service members are able to enroll in the BRS when the opt-in window opens, each service member should ensure that their DIEMS, the earliest date of enlistment, induction, or appointment in a uniformed service is accurately reflected on their Leave and Earning Statement (LES) and in their NSIPS Electronic Service Record (ESR). The DIEMS is critical in determining an AC and RC service member's BRS opt-in eligibility status. Additionally, AC service members should ensure the PEBD, status in a uniformed service is correct. RC service members should ensure their retirement point total is correctly reflected in their NSIPS ESR. a. If the PEBD or DIEMS date is not correct on the service members LES or NSIPS ESR, or a service member believes their BRS opt-in eligibility status is incorrect, the member should contact their Command Career Counselor (CCC) or Command Pay and Personnel Administrator (CPPA). b. CCCs or CCPAs should report the BRS eligibility discrepancy via an encrypted email to mill_BRS@navy.mil. The subject line should read "FOUO BRS Eligibility Discrepancy - DIEMS," "FOUO BRS Eligibility Discrepancy - PEBD," or "FOUO BRS Eligibility Discrepancy Unknown." c. Each BRS eligibility discrepancy submission should include substantiating documents to include one of the following documents: The members DD Form 214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", DD Form 215 "Correction to DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", NGB 22 "Report of Separation and Record of Service", DD Form 4 "Enlistment/ Reenlistment Document Armed Forces of the United States, DD Form 1966 "Record of Military Processing - Armed Forces of the United States, and Cadet/Midshipman contracts or contracts with the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration or Public Health Service. 8. For certain opt-in eligible service members, there are additional opt-in concerns to consider prior to the enrollment period. First, opt-in eligible service members who are eligible for BRS continuation pay (CP) in CY18 and desire to elect CP, must enroll in the BRS first and elect to take CP prior to reaching 12 YOS. Second, opt-in eligible service members who choose to enroll in the BRS, and who will reach 12 YOS within the first 90 days of CY18, may be required to manually elect CP through their CCC due to systems processing time. Third, opt-in eligible service members who will be eligible to retire with pay in CY18, and who choose to enroll in the BRS, must opt-in to the BRS and elect the lump sum payment option, if desired, at least 90 days prior to reaching their eligible retirement age. If the lump sum option is not elected prior to the 90 day requirement, the member will be limited to the full pension option under the BRS. 9. BRS information can be found on the Navy BRS page at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers- npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/readiness/Pages/Personal-Financial- Management.aspx. 10. As stated in references (b) through (e), the opt-in decision is likely the most important financial decision of an eligible service members Navy career. A concerted effort by the Navy Total Force must be made to ensure that BRS opt-in training is complete and that service members are prepared to make an informed financial decision when the opt-in window opens on 1 January 2018. 11. Released by Vice Admiral R. P. Burke, N1.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//