Looking to get some advice/experience from those that have already walked this path. . .

-- How early must you initiate your separation? How late can you withdraw your separation if things in the outside world don't pan out as expected?

-- What's the equation of when you can hang up your flight suit and actually work as a civilian. . .in other words when are you completely done with the Air Force? Is it something like: (DATE I CAN START WORKING AT CIVILIAN JOB) = (DATE OF SEPARATION = no earlier than ADSC DATE) + (ACCUMULATED LEAVE AND EXPECTED ACCUMULATED LEAVE) + (PERMISSIVE TDY)

-- How does an AEF deployment or 365 tour figure into the mix? Is there a reg that governs what the tightest turn between returning from a deployment to initiating terminal leave for separation? As an example, my ADSC/Date of Separation is 15 Dec 09. I'll have 60 days of leave accumulated which means I could initiate terminal leave on 15 Oct 09. When must I "legally" be back from a 365 or AEF deployment to initiate the separation process? Is it 15 Septebmer or 15 August or ???? I'm trying to set up my terminal leave date so I don't get sent out the door with a fini AEF deployment.

Thanks.

 

Initiate: Last year I was told 2wks minimum, but AFPC prefers about 6wks. That 2wks is with the expedited help of your SQCC and perhaps WGCC.

I think you can pull your papers up to the last day of terminal leave, but that's just a guess.

You can begin a CIV job on your first day of terminal LV--ask Separations Office to do the math for you on what day that is. I don't know how PTDY works into it--I didn't ask for any.

My guess is 15oct08!!!

Finally, Separations/your CC should be able to tell you all of these answers, and if you're afraid to ask the CC, then ask a different CC!

 

I separated 2 days ago, so the process is very fresh in my mind. If you separate under the completion of ADSC section of the reg, then the AF can expect up to 6 months of notification. You won't know until you drop your papers with separations at the MPF, then it takes a few weeks for AFPC to approve. If you 7 day opt an assignment, as I did, you can get out as fast as it takes AFPC to approve it. I elected to use the 6 months to find a job and played out my terminal leave once I got a job(w/ATI) a month from separation. The reg states that to pull your papers, you need to initiate that 30 days prior to sep, time for AFPC to approve.

Once you complete your ADSC you are a free man, provided you have dropped your papers 6 months prior to ADSC, to be safe, as I said AFPC may approve an earlier date. Assuming you plan ahead, and want to be free ASAP, then you drop your papers 7 months prior(I will explain) to ADSC, and we'll say you have 30 days of terminal leave, then you could start at a civilian job 30 days prior to sep date. The 7 month thing is from the reg, whereas you drop your papers on 26 Nov (when I did) you start counting with the next month, so my sep date was 1 June. Granted I could have made it sooner since I 7 day opted, but MPF screwed up my paperwork, since I tried to turn down an assignment that wasn't loaded in the system, AFPC turned me down and made me wait for the assignment to drop, then 7 day opt it. Long story I know.

Bottom line- most sep stuff has gone virtual and the onus is on you to do the work, and yes that is crap, the sep guy said "there is an online checklist in the portal, go find it and do it." Very little guidance.

 

"-- How does an AEF deployment or 365 tour figure into the mix? Is there a reg that governs what the tightest turn between returning from a deployment to initiating terminal leave for separation? As an example, my ADSC/Date of Separation is 15 Dec 09. I'll have 60 days of leave accumulated which means I could initiate terminal leave on 15 Oct 09. When must I "legally" be back from a 365 or AEF deployment to initiate the separation process? Is it 15 Septebmer or 15 August or ???? I'm trying to set up my terminal leave date so I don't get sent out the door with a fini AEF deployment."

There is a number of days you have to be back prior to sep, which may be waiverable. I want to say 60 or 90 days. I had a DAV code in the MPF system for being non-deployable due to being within 180 days of sep, again the AF can get a DAV(Deployment Avail) code waiver.