Nope I'm a Palace Chase kinda guy with the AFRC. The day I wrote that about the VSP was just a overall crappy day for me in the AF. (Venting)

I did my final out the day my terminal leave started and still have the CAC card. I'll be on continuous orders about a month or so after my DOS date. So, the card thing doesn't help much.

Lobo,

Congrats on the Chase! Plenty of VSP folks in due time will be willing to trade some cash for the relative security, based on post 9/11 bank accounts of your manning position. You should have a seemless handoff, in theory, I believe on your DOS and swap over to AFRC. There are a bunch more vMPF type apps in AFRC to get up to speed with, your CAC permissions get changed, but you should be all set as a Palace chase, especially if your AFRC unit is collocated w/ your active unit.

So today....

I was given permissive tdy for house hunting and I talked my separations guy into putting TAMP on my separations orders. He knew what it meant and didn't even flinch. I was told by the Tricare folks by having "TAMP" in the remarks section you are eligible for 180 days of medical coverage as originally promised. I've held the letter to my congressman for now and hopefully the TAMP thing works and I won't have to fight for it. It's obvious that no one knows what the 'real deal' is and it's all about what you can make of it now. The A1C working my paperwork feels bad about them backing out of the original deal and made his own decision. I'm convinced everyone in the MPF world is too undermanned and not paid enough to give a schit to do it 'by the book.' As the guy working my paperwork said, "no one has even trained me on this program and all I have to go on is the reg and this FAQ page from the AFPC website."

I'm sure my status will be challenged down the road but fingers crossed I'll be medically covered.

Luck,
Fish

Take your orders by MPF and request a DD FORM 2765 - ID and Privilege Card. Make sure the back of the card states

MEDICAL DIRECT: YES and start date and stop date for medical benefits for you and your family.

I can't post pictures of the ID for obvious security reasons but your MPF should be able to help you out...


-LAFF

My separation date was 30 May (feels good to be a civilian!). I took my orders by the MPF and told them I needed an IRR card that expired in three years, but he told me he could only give me the 2765 ID that you're talking about. I checked the back and it has "medical: yes" as well (expires this Nov). So does this mean my family can still be seen on base for free? How does this process work? We have already applied for civilian transition insurance (the insurance for my new job starts 1 Aug) but haven't paid for it yet. Any help is appreciated.

Also, can folks chime in on how long it took them to get their VSP payment after their date of sep? The VSP FAQ on the AFPC website says that it will be paid "upon date of separation," but mine wasn't. I called over to AFPC to see what was up and the guy told me it could take up to four weeks!!!! Also, when I looked at my final LES last week, it said that my normal pay was being held back. I went to finance and was told that my entire last month's pay is held back for an audit and to allow leave to be sold back and would be paid in full by 10 days after my sep date. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE A BIG PROBLEM IF YOU HAVE A MORTGAGE OR OTHER MONTHLY PAYMENT AND NO PAYCHECK OR VSP CHECK TO COVER IT!!! Luckily we had some money we could use for our house payment. After all this, we still ended up getting paid half my normal paycheck on the first. What gives? What have other people been experiencing?

Chris- yes, you have coverage on base primarily, if it's able. If not near base, you should be "standard" and use the tricare system off base.

$ wise- I'm sorry no one told you earlier. THOUGH THE REG and MESSAGES STATE YOUR VSP IS PAID on your DOS!!!- The finance SCUM criminals that make you steal your deserved pay get the last laugh- yes- they'll take about 10 days to pay the VSP (taking the 25% initial tax cut for you too). They use their checklists that are actually the last step in your separation- they wait to make sure you are not really a criminal that has pulled one over on the ENTIRE base and AFPC and pulled a DOS checklist A to Z. They are the Big Brother waiting to make sure you are really legit, to the tune of about 10 days waiting after your DOS to do their JOB! Funny, EH? If I could give them an incentive ride it would look like the first flight scene in MI III.

Yeah, I'm lucky I had access to some funds to cover my mortgage. I told the dude at AFPC on the phone that the website needed to be changed and the word got out so people in the future wouldn't be in the same situation, but he just shirked any responsibility and basically said it wasn't his problem. Yet another reason why I got out...

Update: still no VSP after a 30 May sep date. Went to finance to see what was up, they said my withheld pay and VSP were "trying" to be paid out on the same day earlier this month but one of them (the VSP) got "kicked back." They said this wasn't normal and it should be paid out by next Wed. Lesson learned: I don't know what's going on with their computer systems, but if you don't have your money in the bank within 10 days after you separate, go find out what's up.

I also went by Tricare and got signed up for the free 180 days of health care for me and my family due to the fact they issued me a DD Form 2765 after I told them not to. It's Tricare Prime by the way...

Who issued you the form and what exactly is it? Has anyone mentioned TAMP on your orders or ID card? Just trying to validate what I've learned.

I had the bomb dropped on me yesterday. The A1C in charge of Separations sent me a one line email...."Sir, I thought you'd like to know if you go into the guard or reserve you'll have to pay back the entire VSP amount...."

I'm two weeks away from going to my new unit and they drop this one on me. Thanks to you guys I was well prepared to defend my situation and had a couple of things for them to learn from. They're still "looking into it."

MPF customer service issued it to me. It's a transitional ID card (it looks kinda like a dependent ID card) that is valid for 180 days after separation. It has "Medical: Yes" on the back--that's how I'm able to get the health care. I don't know what "TAMP" is...