Originally Posted by
tennisguru
One move I sometimes try to make is sliding an extra day of reserve following a rotation assignment. Say you’ve got a 3 day LC block and get tagged with a 3 day rotation. Try sliding a single LC day onto that first X day following the rotation. This is better the later the rotation releases since the 18 hour call out requirement can push you into unusable status. This gets you a “free” LC day most times and with an added benefit of shortening a future block by a day.
This is good strategy that I've also used. Just have to keep in mind that the day(s) moved has to be done via PCS at least 72 hours in advance of the day, so the 2200 PCS run on the evening before that 3-day rotation is the last (best) opportunity to do it. It's pretty reliable too since reserve staffing levels are typically lower closer-in, so moving a LC later in the month (with good staffing) to a few days out (worse staffing because some reserves have already been used) makes the system happy.