ROUTINE R 031416Z OCT 22 MID200080290948U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 222/22 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/OCT// SUBJ/NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS SENIOR ENLISTED EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL TECHNICIAN CRITICAL SKILLS RETENTION BONUS PROGRAM// REF/A/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/161731ZAUG17// REF/B/DOC/TITLE 37 U.S.C./12JAN20// REF/C/DOC/DOD/MAY22// REF/D/DOC/ASN(MRA)/19AUG22// NARR/REF A IS NAVADMIN 199/17, RENEWAL OF NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS ENLISTED EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL TECHNICIAN CRITICAL SKILLS RETENTION BONUS PROGRAM. REF B IS SECTION 331 OF TITLE 37 U.S. CODE, SPECIAL PAY: RETENTION INCENTIVES FOR MEMBERS QUALIFIED IN CRITICAL MILITARY SKILLS OR ASSIGNED TO HIGH PRIORITY UNITS. REF C IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION, VOLUME 7A, CHAPTER 2: REPAYMENT OF UNEARNED PORTION OF BONUSES AND OTHER BENEFITS. REF D IS ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS MEMORANDUM AUTHORIZING THE EOD CRITICAL SKILLS RETENTION BONUS.// RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN cancels reference (a) and announces an updated Naval Special Operations (NSO) Senior Enlisted Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician Retention Bonus (RB) program. 2. Program Overview. This bonus is authorized under references (b) through (d). Specific critical Navy enlisted classifications (NEC) and approved award levels have been prescribed in reference (d). The NSO EOD Enlisted Community Manager (BUPERS-329) will act as the NSO EOD RB Program Manager. All applications for this bonus will be submitted to the program manager for processing and tracking. By law, Sailors may receive no more than 360,000 dollars in RB monies over a career. Selective reenlistment bonus awards are included in that cap. Within the confines of reference (d), the eligibility criteria stated in this NAVADMIN may be changed by the program manager based on the needs of the EOD community, with the approval of the Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy (OPNAV N13). 3. Eligibility. NSO EOD Sailors with NEC M04A, in paygrades E-7 to E-9, who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply: a. Between 20 and 28 years of active service (YOAS). Note: Initial applications may be submitted and contracts signed within the 19th YOAS, but payments will not begin until 20 YOAS. b. Milestone complete for current paygrade in line with the EOD career path. c. Serving on Active-Duty in a regular component. d. Favorable recommendation from the Sailors commanding officer (CO). 4. Ineligibility: a. Sailors serving under an existing RB contract are not eligible to receive an additional RB for service outlined in their existing RB contract agreement. b. Sailors are not eligible for RB payments past their high year tenure (HYT) date. HYT dates are firm, and HYT waiver requests will not be considered during the NSO EOD RB application process. c. Sailors with documented misconduct or below standard performance will be removed from RB eligibility. 5. Contract Terms. NSO EOD RB contract lengths, payments, and Active-Duty service obligations are outlined below. a. E-7s are eligible to contract to 24 YOAS. E-8s are eligible to contract to 26 YOAS. E-9s are eligible to contract up to 30 YOAS. If a Sailor serves a partial year, that year will be prorated pursuant to the bonus amount of that year. Specific bonus amounts are graduated in line with YOAS. (1) Phase One NSO EOD RB. Sailors must be E-7 or above and have NEC M04A to apply for a phase one bonus. Phase one corresponds with E-7 HYT and encompasses 20 to 24 YOAS. Sailors will have the opportunity to receive up to 100,000 dollars in RB for phase one contracts. At a minimum, Sailors must contract through 21 YOAS. YOAS Bonus Amount 20 25,000 dollars 21 25,000 dollars 22 25,000 dollars 23 25,000 dollars (2) Phase Two NSO EOD RB. Sailors must be E-8 (select) or above and have NEC M04A to apply for a phase two bonus. Phase two corresponds with E-8 HYT and encompasses 24 to 26 YOAS. Sailors will have the opportunity to receive up to 50,000 dollars in retention bonuses for phase two contracts. YOAS Bonus Amount 24 25,000 dollars 25 25,000 dollars (3) Phase Three NSO EOD RB. Sailors must be E-9 (select) or E-9 and have NEC M04A to apply for a phase three bonus. Phase three corresponds with E-9 HYT and encompasses 26 to 30 YOAS. Sailors must contract before they reach 28 YOAS. Sailors will have the opportunity to receive up to 40,000 dollars in retention bonuses for phase three contracts. YOAS Bonus Amount 26 10,000 dollars 27 10,000 dollars 28 10,000 dollars 29 10,000 dollars (4) RB Contract. RB contract phases may be combined as long as the Sailors are eligible to receive payments to the contracted end date. b. In line with reference (b), NSO EOD RB contracts will be for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 years. Sailors under the RB contract will not submit a request for retirement or tender a resignation with an effective date that is prior to completion of the agreement. Enlisted Sailors must reenlist or extend their enlistment contract, soft end of active obligated service, for a period of at least 2 years. Sailors are authorized early reenlistment in order to align RB and reenlistment contracts. Reenlistments and extensions may be combined to align service dates for the maximum opportunity, up to a reenlistment of 6 years and an extension of up to 12 months. 6. Program Execution: a. Sailors should submit requests for NSO EOD RB to the program manager via their chain of command at eod_comm_mgr.fct(at)navy.mil 60 to 180 days prior to entering into an NSO EOD RB contract. The following documents are required: (1) Letter requesting contract from the Sailor. (2) Endorsement letter from the CO. (3) Evaluation or documentation of appropriate milestone qualification/designation. b. Upon acceptance of a Sailor agreement by the program manager, the amount of the bonus becomes fixed, and the Sailor incurs a firm service obligation. c. Sailors will receive the bonus in a lump sum payment, effective from the date of contract execution. Prior to payment, Sailors will submit a copy of the reenlistment contract and/or extension agreement with proof of tax- free status, if applicable. d. RB requests for personnel who are being processed for disciplinary action, NEC removal, or restoration will be held in abeyance pending final resolution. 7. Recoupment and Repayment Policy. In line with references (c) and (d), a Sailor of the uniformed services who enters into a written agreement with specified service conditions for receipt of a bonus is entitled to the full amount of the bonus if the Sailor fulfills the condition of that written agreement. If the Sailor fails to fulfill the service conditions specified in the written agreement for pay, then the pay may be terminated, and the Sailor may be required to repay an amount equal to the unearned portion of the pay. 8. Points of contact are: a. LT Zachary Krueger, NSO ECM and NSO EOD RB Program Manager, by e-mail at zachary.m.krueger.mil(at)us.navy.mil or by phone at (901) 874-4433. b. EODCM Tim Mendenhall, Enlisted Technical Advisor, by e-mail at timmy.j.mendenhall.mil(at)us.navy.mil or by phone at (901) 874-2827. 9. This message will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, whichever occurs first. 10. Released by Vice Admiral Richard J. Cheeseman, Jr., N1.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//