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Frequently Asked Questions!

“Everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask”!

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What constitutes a Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA)?

• Body Composition Assessment (BCA)• Height and Weight• Taping (Standard)

• Physical Readiness Test (PRT)• Flexibility • Body Strength• Endurance

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What constitutes a PFA failure?

• Below minimum score for PRT• And/Or• Exceeds body fat standards:

Age (years): 17-39 40-40+DOD BCA Exception

Male: 22% 23% 26%

Female: 33% 34% 36%

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After 1st failure?

• Page 13 (enlisted) or LON (officers)• Enrollment in Fitness Enhancement

Program (FEP)• No promotion or frocking

until Mock PFA passed

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After 2nd failure?

• Page 13 (enlisted) or LON (officers)• Warning of Separation• Enrollment in FEP• No promotion or frocking until Mock

PFA passed

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After 3rd failure?

• Commanding Officer Will Start ADSEP Procedures

• Not Eligible For Reenlistment• Not Eligible For Advancement

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Other instructions that may impact a career, promotion, transfer, ADSEP, etc.?

• DODINST 1308.3• SECNAVINST

5214.2B• OPNAVINST

6110.1H• NAVADMINS• MILPERS MANUAL

ARTICLE 1910-170

• BUPERSINST 1430.16E

• SECNAVINST 1420.1A

• COMMAND POLICY• USC TITLE 10• And Many, Many,

More!!!

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FITREP marks or admin actions for a Sailor with 3 failures in 4-years? • Special Evaluation/FITREP:

• 1.0 in Military Bearing• “SP” Overall• “Not Recommended” for Retention or

Advancement

• Plus:• Removed from any selection board consideration• Loss of Warfare Pin• Good Conduct Medal eligibility• Gold badges, etc.

• Applies to Enlisted and Officers (as per MILPERSMAN)

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Does denial of promotion/ advancement/frocking and advancement exam participation?

• 1st or 2nd PFA failure:• Can participate in the March and September Exams

with CO’s permission• To be promoted or advanced, pass mock PFA prior to

the promotion cycle limiting date (Per BUPERSINST 1430.16E (enlisted) & SECNAVINST1420.1A (officers)

• 3rd PFA failure in 4 years• Not eligible to be promoted or compete for

advancement (take exam), or go before any selection board

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Promotion Cycle Limiting Dates For Enlisted Personnel

Pay Grade Exam Date Limiting Date

E-4/5/6 Feb/Mar 31 Dec

E-4/5/6 Aug/Sep 30 Jun

E-7 Jan/Feb 31 Aug

E-8/9 N/A 30 Jun

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Information on mandatory ADSEP processing?• Enlisted:

• Review MILPERSMAN• Contact COMNAVPERSCOM (PERS-832)

(901) 874-4433. • Officers:

• COs initiate separation processing through COMNAVPERSCOM (PERS-834) – referencing SECNAVINST 1920.6C (3)(1)(a) and OPNAVINST 6110.1H, outlining the PFA failures

• COs issue letter of notification to Sailor for PFA failures

• If COMNAVPERSCOM directs separation, PERS-834 will:

• Notify a probationary officer, who can respond, or • Direct a non-probationary officer to a board of inquiry

(BOI)

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Separations (cont.)• 14 Days to start ADSEP process • Request Readiness waiver first, if

disapproved, start separation or ADSEP proceedings

• Ensure Personnel are aware: • Involuntarily separated personnel for

PFA failures must pay back unearned bonuses, fees for specialized training, and all existing indebtedness per DODFMR

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Multiple PFA failures and PCS orders?

• OPNAVINST 6110.1H has no restrictions on transferring members with PFA failures

• Detailers work closely with the Physical Readiness Office when making assignment decisions

• Personnel, who have three or more failures in the past four years and have failed the most recent PFA, will not be transferred

• NAVADMIN 277/08

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Policy for over 18 years of service or retirement eligible with 3 or more PFA failures?

• Any personnel with 18+ years of service are subject to ADSEP processing based on three or more PFA failures in the past four years

• However, they may request to• Transfer to the Fleet Reserve, or• Retire at the earliest convenience of

the government

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Retirement (cont.) • Can submit request to retire up to 24 months

prior to their 20 year point:• “Requesting retirement due to multiple PFA Failures

as per OPNAV N-135”• More than 20 years of active duty service can

request to retire immediately: • “Requesting retirement at the earliest convenience to

the government due to multiple PFA Failures as per OPNAV N135”

• If a person doesn’t submit a request for retirement, ADSEP processing will continue

• POC for Fleet Reserve and retirement requests is PERS-823, (901) 874-2311

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DOD BCA exception rule?• COs may waive the BCA • Up to26% for males and 36% for females if:

• Score an overall “excellent" or higher on the PRT, with no single event scored below "good"

• Present a professional, military appearance as determined by the CO

• Cannot be medically waived from any PRT event

• Approved waivers must be forwarded to OPNAV N-135 to change BCA in PRIMS to "within standards“

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What are the requirements for a BCA Waiver?

• Only granted in 6 month increments for: • Non-elective surgery to the area to be

measured (i.e. tracheotomy, or appendectomy, or caesarian)

• Cosmetic surgeries (i.e. liposuction, tucks, or implants) are not grounds for a BCA Waiver unless deemed essential by BUMED

• Medications (i.e. cancer) or where the med (i.e. steroids) is known to cause weight gain

• Pregnancy or IVF treatment, and aftercare followings the delivery / termination of the pregnancy

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BCA Waiver (cont.) • May only be approved for six months • Must be signed by a specialist and

counter-signed by the appropriate Medical Department Head. If not available, the CO or OIC must sign

• Cannot be signed by a Corpsman or Civilian Doctor. A Civilian Doctor can make a recommendation for a BCA waiver; signed as above

• Inability to exercise is NOT a valid reason for a BCA Waiver!!!

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I have a person at my command who is permanently waived from the PFA or PRT?• No, you don’t! • There is no such thing as a permanent

medical waiver • Forward all information to OPNAV 135

for review and to BUPERS for evaluation• To date, none that we have received for

review have proven valid

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I have a person who has a Light Duty Chit for 6 months and gets one before every PFA cycle, what action should I take?• A Light Duty (LD) Chit is only good for a

max 30 days at a time, extendable to a max of 90 days. The person should be placed in Limited Duty (LIMDU) Status, complete with a 105/0054 Detailing code.

• LIMDU is only good for 6 months, extendable to 12 months, but can be extended by a Physical Examination Board (PEB) to 18 months total for the entire career

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LD/LIMDU Continued• A person who has failed a PFA cycle

immediately prior to being placed in a LIMDU or LD status (including Pregnancy) is not eligible for promotion or frocking until they successfully complete an Official PFA (OPNAVINST 6110.1H, (Encl 8, page 12, para 19C))

• Additionally, all administrative actions incurred prior to the diagnosis remain in effect

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LD/LIMDU Continued• A person who is medically waived from

the PFA two or more times for the same reason should be referred to medical for a MEB

• This is at the Commanding Officers discretion based on their determination of the impact of readiness and good order and conduct

• The Commanding Officer has final authority over the approval of all medical waivers

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LD/LIMDU Continued• Personnel who are placed in a

LD/LIMDU status must have the MDR complete a SF600 which is turned in, retained by the CFL and entered into PRIMS

• Personnel who are placed in a LIMDU status are required to be entered into the detailing system as a 105/0054 Code for tracking, detailing, and readiness purposes

• This is not optional and may warrant transfer to another command!

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I have a Sailor who is on Light Duty for 2 weeks as defined on a Light Duty Chit. Can I have them take the PFA once that period has passed and Medical has cleared them for PT?• Yes, your PFA cycle is technically 6

months in duration• Once a person has been cleared by

Medical, they can be required to take the PFA for that cycle

• Use your monthly mock PFAs for FEP as an opportunity to catch “Stragglers”, those who were TAD, on leave, or have been cleared from a medical issue

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I have a person who refuses to take the PFA or doesn’t show up for the PRT or FEP, can I count them as a Failure?

• No, a Sailor who fails to be at his appointed place of duty for a PFA or FEP Training is not to be counted as a PFA failure, but should be considered to be in an Unauthorized Absence (UCMJ-ART 86, UA) status and should be treated as such by their CO or OIC

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Recommended actions for “No Shows”

• CO issues a NAVPERS 1070/613 (page 13) directing the member to be at their appointed place of duty

• Make them take the Mock PFA• If the Sailor fails to comply with this

direction, the CO or OIC should take action IAW the UCMJ

• Again, a Sailor missing a PFA does not constitute a PFA Failure

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How long does my command have to apply for a Readiness Waiver?

• CO has 14 days from the date of third failure to request a readiness waiver

• Ensure command is in compliance with the requirement criteria for a Readiness Waiver to avoid possible embarrassment

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If a person discovers an error with their PRIMS file, how can is it corrected?• Within the current PFA cycle, CFL can

make corrections to PRIMS• Greater than 6 months, command must

submit a letter of Corrections to OPNAV N-135, requesting correction.

• PRIMS may not be changed without approval once a PFA cycle is complete

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Does a person’s PFA results follow or apply if they transfer to or from the Navy Reserve or if they are selected for a commissioning program?

• Yes

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Regulations for when and if we should have the PFA during and/or following deployment?

• Refer to NAVADMIN 247/09 for guidance• If you provided at least 10 weeks notice of the

PFA dates and your CO feels the crew is ready, go for it

• If the CO feels that, due to operational commitments, a PFA would not be feasible then that is their call• Participant status is "Dep/Op“• Highly recommend completing the BCA• FITREP/Evaluation

• Mark N/XX in Block 20• ..."no PFA completed this reporting period due to

operational commitments..." in the remarks section • Keep a memo for the record

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Command is on deployment, plans to waive PFA. Do BCA’s count?

• YES, the PFA is comprised of the PRT and the BCA, you can conduct one without the other, DOD BCA Exception will not apply

• CO can direct you to conduct a BCA to determine who may need assistance or placement in FEP, however this cannot be used for administrative actions such as FITREPS, or Selection Boards

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“Bad Day Rule"?

• Discuss with CO while planning the PFA cycle – CO makes the call

• Inform all personnel of the following:• Claiming a “bad day” means retesting for both the

BCA and PRT• Anyone may claim a “Bad Day”, whether they passed

or failed• The “Final Date” of testing that a person may claim a

“Bad Day”• If a person claims a “Bad Day” and doesn’t show or is

medically waived for the retest, the first score stands as that person’s PFA final result

• The “Bad Day” rule is at the discretion of the CO/OIC and is not a right

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Fitness Enhancement Program (FEP) Assignment?• At the discretion of the CO/OIC/CMC• FEP is not a punishment, it is to assist

in establishing a healthy lifestyle and prevent damage to a career

• Three ways to enroll in FEP: • Do poorly or fail a PFA• Command Directed• Self Referral

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Command PRP Policy

• What about making time during working hours for FEP?

• What happens if someone doesn’t show up for FEP?

• How will you deal with watch standers, shift workers, or those recently returned from deployment?

• What PRT options are allowed?• Is there a limit on how many times a

person can claim a bad day?

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Are there any other questions you desire to ask?

Take the Shot!!