Need some advice. (OTEIP)

[beckyjvliet]

Hubby has been stationed in Japan since he got done with A school November 09. I moved here last June after getting married in April. By the time he is out it will be almost 4 years being stationed here, due to this he was informed he could OTEIP and get the bonus of either a free ticket home, money, or 30 days leave(not all at once) he decided to choose the leave. First his OTEIP was denied because we're married but put back in because i'm not command sponsored so his captain said it didn't count. Now it has come back and they are saying for it to be approved he has to write a statement refusing the ticket and our household stuff being shipped home.... i don't know if they mean the ticket from OTEIP or flight home when he gets out ticket.. but.. can they do this!? how are we supposed to ship all that home and we are not selling everything for next to nothing... he is an E-5 and said he's guaranteed stuff shipped home. He said he's going to sign it and/or fight it but i have a really bad feeling about it... anyone been through this or have advice on what to do? He is out to sea so it is very hard to communicate with him about it. Thanks in advance ladies :)

[beckyjvliet]

Its not letting me reply to the last comment, i sent u a friend request. And Emily told me you were prior navy, she is the one who referred me here and told me to get in touch with you. We are also in sasebo :)

[Anti M]

I never spent much time in Sasebo, I was up in Yokosuka when hubby was there.  We didn't see each other very much then.  

I got the friend request, thanks...

[sailorwifenmom]

Hi,

I'm stationed in Japan with my husband and I think I might be able to help you out a bit here.  You guys got pretty lucky that they gave you the stamp in your passport, they aren't supposed to do that if you aren't command sponsored.  (At least, that's what they tell us up  here in Misawa.) 

I think, from what you've written, what might be the problem - and mind you, I don't KNOW this, but it would be worth looking into to see if this is what's going on - is this..

If you come here unaccompanied and decide to bring your spouse over later (whether because you got married while you were here or because you got promoted and are now authorized to bring them), you have to have at least a year left here to do so, which for most people, means they have to extend.  This does NOT count as an OTEIP extension.  If you are already here with your family, or if you are single and are still single, or if  you were married with your family in the States and you aren't bringing them here, then you CAN extend with an OTEIP extension. 

It sounds like whoever is doing his extension paperwork thinks you are there / he's extended under the whole "bring my spouse over" deal, and that's not the case, which thankfully, it sounds like your husband's CO understands.

Now, as far as the ticket, packout, and stuff goes - are they telling him that they won't pay for HIM to go back if he does an OTEIP, or that they won't pay for YOU to go back?  Also, same basic sort of question for the packout - are they saying NO packout, or are they saying that he won't get authorized the same weight allowances and stuff that he would as a married Sailor - that he only gets authorized whatever he would get as a single Sailor?

The reason I'm asking is because it sounds like whoever is doing your OTEIP paperwork is really confused.  Since you aren't here with Command Sponsorship, they shouldn't be paying for your return ticket home or giving him an accompanied weight allowance anyway, but maybe the person doing the forms thinks that they were going to, and is saying you can't have that and do OTEIP, if that makes sense....

If I were you all, I would go (either him alone while he's gone or together when he gets back) to PSD (ask to talk to the LPO or the Chief) about this, and see what they say.  If they say that you are there, so he can't OTEIP (which isn't right, since you don't have sponsorship), and that  you are going to be  on his orders to go back, and you're getting the full packout and stuff, then I would talk to them about getting ALL the benefits of command sponsorship - the COLA.  If they say no, you aren't getting that stuff, then there's no reason that it should have any affect on his OTEIP stuff. 

Anyway, like I said, I don't KNOW this is what's happening, but from being here and seeing the confusion that goes on a lot with this, I'm betting this is at least part of the problem.  Hope this helps, and  you all are able to get it straight!

Good luck!

[Anti M]

So glad you posted, I knew you'd have some insight on it.  Good advice.

And yes, the passport stamp did sound like a mistake. A favorable one, but very unusual.

[sailorwifenmom]

Thanks :-)  I just hope that it helps though, it sounds like there's some serious confusion on going on somewhere with all of this. 

[beckyjvliet]

Thank you for the info. They are saying no to the whole packout. His command knows I am here and he already had one oteip come back denied because he was married but the command told him to do it again since I am not command sponsored it didn't count. From the beginning we have planned on paying for my ticket so that doesn't bother us, we knew they wouldn't pay for me. Also i'm not sure what they mean about the ticket. He just said he has to refuse a ticket home I don't know if they mean deny the OTEIP ticket since he is choosing leave or if they mean deny his flight home in the end. Also he said since he is an E-5 he is allowed his own housing which comes with pack out. And I have been here for almost a year and he still has about a year. This duty station will be a total of 3 years and 9 months. This whole situation has me utterly confused.

[sailorwifenmom]

It doesn't make any sense that they would say no pack out, period.  He really needs to look into that.  But even as an E-5 authorized to live off base, there is still a difference in weight allowance between what a Sailor here with authorized dependents and what a Sailor who is "officially" here as an Unaccompanied Sailor gets. Unaccompanied E-5s get 7,000 lbs and Accompanied get 9,000 lbs.  As Navy, they now authorize us to ship 75% of our weight allowance to and from Japan.  He should - stress should - he REALLY needs to go talk to them and get this clarified - be authorized 75% of 7,000 lbs. when he packs out. 

Again though, if this is what they are saying to him - that he is not authorized any pack out when he transfers, then I really suggest he head over to PSD, talk to the LPO or the Chief, and ask them to explain to him why they are saying he's not authorized a pack out. 

[sailorwifenmom]

Also, if you don't mind me asking, is there a reason you all chose to not get command sponsorship?  I'm not bashing, it's just that honestly, it would make it a lot easier. 

Plus, I don't know if you were here last year when the earthquake and stuff hit, but I know that at least up here in Misawa, if you didn't have command sponsorship, then you weren't a part of the accountability musters and everything, checking on the families, and you were pretty much screwed as far as if you wanted to do the voluntary departure and all of that (we didn't, but I did help with the process, and I know one of the things you needed was a copy of your Sponsor's orders, and the orders say if they are authorized dependents or not).  I know we were a lot more impacted as far as no power, the tsunami, rationing of supplies, and everything than the bases farther South, but it's just something to keep in mind...

Anyway, I'm really not trying to be nosy or tell you what to do, just having been up here when all that happened, and our kids were stuck down in Tokyo with their soccer teams, I'm a bit sensitive to "what could happen", if that makes sense...  Just something to think about if you have another year here...

[beckyjvliet]

Well his command is telling a bunch of things that i have never heard of. I guess since he has already been here he has already qualified for OTEIP. His chief or captain is also saying he can get an early out since he has already fulfilled his extension requirements. I started the command sponsorship before i came here but my civilian doctors and dentist was giving me a hard time going as far as saying i need jaw surgery(i have an under bite) and braces before they would sign off on it. So medical and dental told him to just bring me here and they would do it. Once I got here i had the dental part done and was working on the medical when there was a change in doctors at medical and it was so bad you would call the appointment line and no one would answer for days. After that we were moving into our house and preparing for a deployment and it just got crazy so we just decided not to. And when he was told he could get early out we figured we wouldn't be here long enough for it to matter. If what he was told is true we hope to be leaving in December 2012 instead of around July 2013 (his enlistment ends in august) And in the event of anything happening like you stated I am in contact with all of the FRG and captains wife and get daily emails from everyone and i would not do a voluntary departure, i won't leave without him unless I absolutely have to... honestly the only difference i have found between command sponsored and not is i don't have a mailbox, which i don't need and we don't get COLA. As soon as he gets home in the near future I will make sure he goes to PSD. He said he isn't signing anything until he gets the information on it. This whole experience with this command has been wayyyy different than anything I have ever heard of and my dad was in the navy and my brother still is so i do have a small navy past but no one has heard of any of this happening.

[beckyjvliet]

Sorry for all the typos, had a long day and very tired. Getting ready for bed. :/

[sailorwifenmom]

No worries :-)  I'm getting ready for bed here, too - it's been a long one here as well.

Please don't think I was bashing you for not getting sponsorship or anything, I was just curious, because I would hate to see you or anyone get stuck.  We didn't leave when they did the departure stuff, we put it to a family vote (our kids were 18 and almost 17 at the time), and all of us decided that unless it turned into a mandatory evacuation, we were going to stay and do what we could to help. 

It's just the mother in me that can't help but worry about people, no matter who it is or how old they are.  My friends tease me about it all the time.  I really hope it didn't offend you, or come across as this whole "you need to get sponsorship" sort of thing, because it really wasn't meant that way, I promise! 

[beckyjvliet]

No i didn't take it offensively, although I have had many many many people bring it up. And yeah it might have been easier to get it done in the long run but it just didn't work out that way for us. And now i'm just hoping we can leave in December. We are both ready for this to be over.