Career
Intermission Program (CIP) right now is in a small-scale pilot program. The
pilot only allows 20 officer and 20 enlisted
each year until this year (2015) and gives them the opportunity to seek
out an advanced degree at a prestigious university of their choosing while also
allowing them the ability to continue their career in the naval service.
CIP
is a onetime temporary transition from active duty to the Individual Ready
Reserve (IRR), and pervades seamless return to active duty. When participants return to active duty they
will be the same rank as when they started CIP.
Some
of the officers using CIP have spoken on some of the positives and Negatives
listed below:
Positives
o
Ability
to obtain a desired degree at a university of your choice
o
Allowed
to use Post 9/11 GI Bill and retained medical/dental benefits
o
Eliminates
timing issues regarding career progression
o
Participants
retain their full medical/dental benefits for themselves and their dependents,
as well as NEX/Commissary benefits. Participants will also receive a small
reserve stipend equal to 2 times 1/30th of their basic pay.
o
There
is no requirement to be at the end of EAOS to take part.
o
OBLISERVE
is required, participants will serve 2 months for every month in the program.
o
Service
members are eligible for GI Bill while participating in the program, but not
for Tuition Assistance. Educational pursuits are considered a legitimate use of
the program.
Negatives:
o
Stipend
not substantial enough to make sufficient impact in day-to-day life
o
Program
not well known to service members
o
Unable
to collect YCS 6 JCSRB payment due to program restrictions
Some Suggestions participating
members have:
o
Heavily
advertise CIP, particularly as an alternative vehicle to obtain graduate
education
o
Increase
the monthly stipend to approximately 1/5 of base pay to create a larger
incentive for participation in CIP
o
Develop
partnerships with academic institutions to help get accepted to top-tier
Master’s programs while participating in CIP
o
Remove
the restriction that do not allow participants to receive CSRB; at minimum,
make it so junior officers could retroactively receive any payments they
otherwise would be ineligible for because of the existing clause making it
ineligible for individuals to participate in CIP while under CSRB. This might
make sense in some context, but not for junior officers, who should be primary
target group of CIP
o
Work
to place members in a position applicable to the Master’s Degree they obtain
during CIP – for example, if someone goes to Wharton to obtain their M.B.A.,
place them in a financial position at the Pentagon immediately upon return to
active duty; if a person goes to Harvard Kennedy School to obtain their M.P.P.,
place them in an OLA or Pol-Mil billet. This will not only leverage the ideas
obtained during their studies but also advance the service member
professionally and validate them academically.
If
you have questions please put them in the Comments below.
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