US Navy announced that a delay in coordinating approval for reauthorization of the Revised Surface Warfare Officer Critical Skills Retention Bonus (RSWOCSRB) will mean no new contracts will be processed for the bonus after Dec. 16 until reauthorization is received, which should be early next year.
Current bonus payments are not impacted by the reauthorization delay.
The lapse in writing new contracts is the result of staffing delays at the Chief of Naval Personnel. Navy leadership is confident the bonus will be reauthorized and should be complete by mid-February.
Officers impacted by this delay have been contacted by their detailer to help them understand how this will impact their career planning.
Eligibility requirements for department head bonus are found in NAVADMIN 156/12 and for lieutenant commander bonus they are listed in NAVADMINs 326/02, 084/10 and 156/12.
Eligible surface warfare officers with four or more years of service who have not yet signed up for the RSWOCSRB department head bonus can sign up for the bonus by Dec. 16. Officers who will not reach four years of service before Dec. 16 are still eligible for the total bonus amount once authorization is renewed as long as they sign up before completing their sixth year of service.
Eligible lieutenant commanders who have not yet signed up for the SWO Critical Skills Bonus (SWOCSB) will be eligible for the total bonus amount when the bonus is renewed as long as they sign up prior to the second anniversary of their promotion to O-4.
Press release, Image: US Navy