A GUIDE TO THE
INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE
The Navy Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a force that consists of personnel who must fulfill their Military Service Obligation (MSO) under Title 10, United States Code, 651, members fulfilling a service obligation incurred via contract, and those who have fulfilled their MSO but voluntarily remain in the IRR. The IRR is composed of the Active Status Pool (ASP) and the Volunteer Training Unit (VTU). Reservists in this category are subject to involuntary recall to Active Duty per Title 10, United States Code, 12301(a) and 12302.
The ASP is a manpower pool consisting of individuals who have had training and have previously served in the active force or in the Selected Reserves (SELRES) and are serving in a non-pay, non-drill status. COMNAVPERSCOM (PERS-93) is responsible for ASP management and screening. The VTU consists of personnel, organized into units, who are eligible and willing to return to a pay status or personnel not eligible for further pay assignments but who voluntarily drill for retirement points. Navy Operational Support Centers (NOSCs), under the cognizance of COMNAVRESFORCOM, are responsible for the continual screening and management of their attached VTUs.
1. Responsibilities. IRR members have certain statutory obligations required by Title 10, U. S. C., and DoD/Navy Policy. You must:
a. Keep the Navy Personnel Command (PERS-93) informed of:
- Residence/Mailing Address/Phone Number/Email Address
- Marital/Dependency status
- Civilian Employer /Occupation
- Changes in education, licenses or skills
- Changes in physical condition which could affect readiness
- Any changes in status that could affect readiness for recall to active duty
NOTE: In accordance with Federal law, Title 10 United States Code, 12302 and 12304, and DoD Directive 1200.7, all members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) are eligible for involuntary recall to active duty.
b. Participate in the Annual Screening Program by responding to ALL correspondence either by mail, phone, fax or e-mail.
c. Maintain physical readiness and obtain physicals when required.
d. Maintain your uniforms in serviceable condition.
e. Meet minimum participation requirements, specifically:
- Officers with less than 20 years of qualifying service are required to earn a minimum of 27 points per anniversary year to remain in the IRR. A member must earn 50 points per anniversary year for a qualifying year for retirement.
- There is no minimum participation point requirement for Enlisted personnel with less than 20 years of qualifying service, however, deterioration of skills may affect your ability to reenlist or extend in the IRR.
- Officers and Enlisted personnel with more than 20 years of qualifying service who do not maintain participation standards (50 points), will be transferred to the Retired Reserve or the Standby Reserve Inactive (USNR-S2) until eligible to receive retired pay.
- Navy Personnel Command (NPC) may transfer personnel who do not meet the minimum participation requirements to the Standby Reserve Inactive (USNR-S2). Retirement point credit is not authorized while in USNR-S2 status.
2. Benefits.
a. Reenlistment/Extension – members of the IRR, E-3 or senior, may be eligible to reenlist for 2-8 years or extend for 2-4 years anytime during the last 12 months prior to their Expiration of Obligated Service (EOS) date, provided all eligibility requirements are met (i.e., maintained satisfactory participation while in the IRR).
*** Reenlistment/extension approval is not automatic and all requests will be addressed on a case by case basis and approval/disapproval will be based on your record/participation in the IRR.
b. Retirement – members of the IRR may receive retirement pay and benefits at age 60 if they accumulate 20 qualifying years of service. To obtain a qualifying year, members must earn a minimum of 50 points per year. Retirement points may be earned through:
- Membership/gratuity points (15 points per year, credited automatically)
- Completion of correspondence courses
- One point per day for each day of Active Duty For Training (ADT)
Participation in authorized programs (i.e., Campus Liaison, Sea Cadets, Naval Academy Information Program, Blue and Gold Program, Professional Seminars, etc.). Please note that you must be affiliated with a Volunteer Training Unit (VTU) to participate in some of these programs.
c. Dental Insurance - For more information and how to enroll, contact United Concordia at 1-888-622-2256 or online at http://www.ucci.com/ by selecting the "TRICARE (TDP)" link.
d. You have 120 days to convert your SGLI to VGLI, as you are eligible for up to $250,000 of Veteran’s Group Life Insurance (VGLI). If interested, call 1-800-419-1473 or visit the VAwebsite for more information.
e. Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) coverage upon retirement.
f. Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
g. Use of Military Exchange and Commissary with valid Identification card.
h. Unlimited access to Category "C" MWR facilities (clubs, marinas, golf courses, etc.) with valid identification card.
i. Department of Defense Guard and Reserve Family Member Identification Card (issued upon request to spouse and family members age 10-21 for exchange, MWR, etc.).
3. Promotion and Advancement.
a. Enlisted members are not eligible to take an advancement exam or advance to the next higher grade while in the IRR, unless serving on Active Duty via mobilization or recall to Active Duty (See Chapter 2 of the BUPERSINST 1430.16F (Advancement Manual) and Chapter 3 of the BUPERSINST 1001.3F for additional information). Enlisted personnel in the VTU, another component of the IRR, are eligible to participate in the Navy-Wide advancement exam and advance to the next higher pay grade, provided they are satisfactory participants and have not reached High Year Tenure (HYT).
b. Officers are eligible for promotion while in an IRR status. It is important that Officers, particularly LCDRs, understand that they are subject to attrition from an active status when twice failed to select (FOS) for the next higher grade (see BUPERSINST 1001.39 Series for more information).
4. Active Duty for Training (ADT). A member of the IRR may request to perform up to 29 days of Active Duty for Training (ADT) with or without pay per year. This training is designed to update mobilization-related skills or may, in certain circumstances, provide fleet support. Contact a PERS-9 ADT Coordinator at 1-800-535-2699 or email to Pers-9_ADT@navy.mil for more information about the application procedure.
5. Correspondence Courses. IRR members may order and complete unclassified correspondence courses from the following activities to earn retirement point credit:
Once you are on the NKO website, look for Navy E-learning, under the "Learning" tab, and log into that site.
Once you're successfully logged into Navy E-learning, you will see a "Browse Categories" option, under which you can select "US Department of the Navy." You will find more correspondence courses there.
Courses that you take via the NETC website will automatically be forwarded to PERS-912 for updating your retirement point record. Other courses (like the ones on Navy Knowledge Online) will require you to send in a copy of your completion certificate to PERS-912 at the following address:
Commander
Navy Personnel Command (PERS-912)
5720 Integrity Drive
Bldg 768
Millington, TN 38055
