Petty Officer Jury

I know her!! 🥰🇺🇸

⚓ Warrior Wednesday | HM1 Victoria Garrison | NRC Tampa Meet NRC Tampa’s 2025 Sailor of the Year, HM1 Garrison, who leads the Medical Department, ensuring Sailors remain ready to mobilize anytime, anywhere. Stepping into a gapped Chief billet, she led a team of 82 corpsmen and providers, completing more than 800 medical requirements to keep the force ready. After transitioning from active duty to the Reserve to better support her family with a more predictable career path, she continues to raise the standard and deliver for the warfighter. Bravo Zulu, HM1 Garrison!

Navy Reserve Tuition Assistance Program: Eligibility & How to Apply Attention Navy Reservists! The Navy has launched an updated Selected Reserve (SELRES) Tuition Assistance (TA) Program for 2025, designed to help you achieve ...

⚓️Warrior Wednesday | CDR Thomas Early ⚓️ Meet CDR Thomas Early, Reserve Surface Warfare Officer who brings operational leadership and strategic expertise to the fight, on active duty and in his civilian role supporting national defense. In uniform, CDR Early brings years of surface warfare and air warfare instruction experience, including training allied and partner nation forces on advanced NATO procedures and emerging threats. Out of uniform, he serves at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, where he helps lead workforce planning, resource management, and strategic decision-making. CDR Early exemplifies the value of the Navy Reserve by providing operational depth and continuity, applying civilian leadership experience in national defense to strengthen Navy readiness, decision making, and sustained warfighting capability. Bravo Zulu, CDR Early.

Navy Reserve (SELRES): Benefits updates rolling into 2026

A number of federal laws enacted in 2025 are updating military and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits on staggered timelines into 2026. Below are the changes most relevant to Selected Reserve (SELRES) Sailors and families:

Key updates + timelines:

1. VA disability and survivor benefits COLA aligned with Social Security effective Dec. 1, 2025.

2. MGIB-SR (Montgomery GI Bill–Selected Reserve) in-state tuition protections begin Aug. 1, 2026 at public institutions in the state where the student lives/attends; noncompliant schools risk losing VA education approval.

3. SGLI/VGLI inflation review cycle begins Jan. 1, 2026, requiring VA to conduct a recurring inflation-based review of maximum coverage.

4. VA Home Loan modernization establishes a new foreclosure-prevention tool (“partial claim”); implementation details are being finalized through VA guidance.

5. Stronger protections in cases of fiduciary misuse of benefits, expanding when VA must reissue misused benefits and pursue recovery from the perpetrator.

6. Transition improvements (FY26 NDAA) strengthening separation counseling and improving movement/visibility of key records to reduce delays in claims and benefit access.

Recommended actions for SELRES:

1. If you plan to use MGIB-SR in 2026, coordinate early with your Education Services Officer and your school’s VA office.

2. Maintain digital copies of key documents that support claims and eligibility.

3. Monitor official VA/DoD guidance as implementation details post.

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⚓ Warrior Wednesday 🩺 Meet Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Kimberly Ortiz, a Navy Reserve Sailor who serves her community and her country with equal dedication. In civilian life, Ortiz is a medical assistant at Naval Hospital Bremerton, caring for patients and supporting daily clinical operations. In uniform, she serves as an HM2 attached to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 11, bringing medical readiness to the maritime expeditionary force. With nine years of Navy Reserve service, Ortiz mobilized in 2023 to Djibouti in support of Operation Spartan Shield, where she provided medical team support and delivered training to host nation partners and military members. Her work strengthened medical readiness and built lasting partnerships in a demanding operational environment. Ortiz stays certified, trained, and ready at all times, serving both her neighbors and her nation. Bravo Zulu, HM2 Ortiz! U.S. Navy | Navy Expeditionary Combat Command | Naval Hospital Bremerton |

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⚓️ PFA Update 💪| Important Changes in 2026

NAVADMIN 264/25 announces major updates to the Navy Physical Readiness Program, effective 1 January 2026. Below are the PFA changes Navy Reserve Sailors should be tracking.

Key Changes You Need to Know:

Two PFA Cycles Per Year
• Cycle 1: January–June; Cycle 2: July–December
• Drilling SELRES and Sailors on active-duty orders less than 12 months will complete one PFA per year
• TAR Sailors and SELRES on active-duty orders of 12 months or longer will complete both cycles

Updated Body Composition Assessment (BCA)
• Height, weight, and waist measurements will be collected on all Sailors
• Step-1: The Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) – s*x neutral
• Step-2: Calculation of body composition using height minus waist measurement, with weight factored into determinations
o Note: Step-2 is not required if a Sailor passes Step-1.
• Age-adjusted standards are eliminated
• Updated body fat limits: 26% male / 36% female

High-Performance BCA Exception (Stricter Standard)
• Sailors outside BCA standards may still pass the PFA if they score:
o Outstanding-Low overall, and
o Excellent-Medium or better in every PRT event
• Results with BCA failure will reflect “BCA Not in Standards”
• Sailor will participate in FEP

PFA Failure Policy
• Sailors who fail three PFAs within four years (beginning in CY26) will be processed for administrative separation
• Active Component and TAR Sailors meeting this threshold will remain at their current command but will be ineligible for transfer

One-Time PFA Failure Reset
• All PFA failures prior to 1 January 2026 will reset to zero for career continuation purposes

Postpartum PFA Participation
• Beginning CY26, Sailors must participate in the official PFA conducted at the end of their 12-month postpartum deferment, provided they are medically cleared.

Combat Fitness Test (CFT)
• Sailors assigned to specific NECs (NSW, EOD, SWCC, Fleet Divers) will complete one PFA and one CFT per year

These updates represent significant changes. Sailors should review guidance early, prepare accordingly, and consult their Command Fitness Leader for official details. For the most current policy, guides, and fact sheet, reference MyNavyHR - Physical Readiness (https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Support-Services/Culture-Resilience/Physical-Readiness/Guides/)