NOAA Corps Officers -
December has been a flurry of activity, including the chance to meet with officers and civilian personnel in Lakeland, FL, Tempe, AZ, Seattle, WA and Silver Spring, MD. These interactions were incredibly helpful for learning where our organization is thriving and where we need to focus our combined efforts to seek opportunities for improvement.
I want to thank the officers who stepped up and volunteered as mentors for BOTC 140, starting in two weeks. The BOTC mentorship program is only a few years old, and so far it has been a great improvement to how we welcome our newest cadre of officers to the NOAA Corps. Thank you NJAC, and especially LT Justin Miyano, for creating and implementing this program!
As the month comes to a close and the new year rapidly approaches, I hope many of you will find a chance to unplug and enjoy the holidays. Many of us will have the watch this weekend, keeping our people and platforms safe, and I want you all to know I am grateful for your service - Thank you!
The CPC team will be hitting the ground running in January. The FY2023 budget is close to passing and we are excited to share with you what this investment will buy the Nation and how it will impact the NOAA Corps as a whole. Other key activities in January include BOTC 140 commencing, publication of the Officer Corps Management Plan, End of Year Package reviews, CPC Division deep-dive briefings with the CPC Advisory Team, progress reviews with the JO morale survey working groups, updates to the directives, and numerous other activities.
Stay safe and take care of your teammates. I look forward to connecting with you all in 2023.
Warm Regards,
RDML Chad Cary, NOAA
Deputy Director for OMAO Operations
Deputy Director for the NOAA Corps
Acting Director, Commissioned Personnel Center
| 11 Jan 2023 | OPS Working Group |
| 01 Feb 2023 | Officer Assignment Board |
| CAPT Michael Hopkins | 01 Jan 2023 |
| LT Kathryn Carria | 01 Jan 2023 |
| LT Sean Digre | 01 Jan 2023 |
| LTJG Andie Cuiffo | 01 Jan 2023 |
| ENS Mikal Montgomery | 01 Jan 2023 |
| ENS Ian Searles | 20 Jan 2023 |
| LT Lydia Ames | 26 Jan 2023 |
| LTJG Gregory Friedman | 31 Jan 2023 |
| CAPT Philip Hall | 01 Feb 2023 |
| CAPT Jeffrey Taylor | 01 Feb 2023 |
| CDR Olivia Hauser | 01 Feb 2023 |
Effective March 1, 2023, all service members eligible for Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) coverage will have their coverage increased to $500,000, even if the coverage was previously declined or reduced. This increase is occurring with the enactment of Public Law 117-209, “Supporting Families of the Fallen Act”, on Oct. 17, 2022. This law creates two new SGLI coverage amounts, $450,000 and $500,000.
Please watch for further guidance in the upcoming months for actions you need to take if you wish to decline this coverage or would like to elect a lesser coverage amount. Additionally, should you desire to retain the maximum coverage after the increase to $500,000 on March 1, 2023, watch for reminders to update your SGLI beneficiaries.
Should you have questions about this increase, please visit https://www.va.gov/life-insurance/options-eligibility/sgli/.
The 2023 BAH Rates have been approved and were released on December 14, 2022. The link to the new rates and accompanying data files is below. The Defense Travel Management Office website has been updated with the new rates and can be found at: https://www.travel.dod.mil/Allowances/Basic-Allowance-for-Housing/BAH-Rate-Lookup/.
This public link provides access to the BAH rate calculator, ASCII files for download of the 2023 BAH rates, as well as non-locality BAH, BAH Out-of-Pocket, and BAH Component Breakdown files.They also provided a new BAH Primer, which gives a detailed overview of how BAH rates are calculated each year (https://media.defense.gov/2022/Jun/23/2003023204/-1/-1/0/BAH-PRIMER.PDF), and updated BAH FAQs (at https://www.travel.dod.mil/Support/Frequently-Asked-Questions/#BAHFAQs).
The USCG Pay System, Direct Access, will shut down temporarily at the end of this calendar year for updates. Beginning December 20, 2022, there will be no system access so pay actions received during this period will not be processed until the system is restored on January 4, 2023. NOAA Corps officers will not have access to view or make changes to their pay account during this time.
RADM Hann approved a formal schedule for 96-hour liberty in conjunction with the remaining Federal Holidays this calendar year. OMAO wide, she authorized units to provide Liberty to NOAA Corps and Public Health Officers and to utilize liberal leave approval for civilian employees for the four days adjacent to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The direction also provides for alternate use of the 96-hour liberty for those required to stand watch or serve other duties over the holiday period.
| Event | Federal Holiday | Liberty Period (96 hr) |
| Christmas Day | 26 DEC 22 | 23 - 26 DEC 22 |
| New Year’s Day | 02 JAN 23 | 30 DEC - 02 JAN 23 |
“The work you do is incredibly important to our mission, and your personal sacrifices do not go unnoticed by Leadership. Thank you for all you do and enjoy the time off! You’ve earned it!”
- RADM Nancy Hann
As a reminder, liberty cannot be combined with annual leave nor is alternate use authorized for those already planning leave during this period that expand beyond the 96 hours. Check out NOAA Corps Directive Chapter Six for additional information.
We have received some questions from the officers working outside of OMAO regarding whether or not this is applicable. In all cases, whether you are working within OMAO or for another Line Office, your current supervisor is the approving authority for your Leave or Liberty. Please work with them directly to establish how you can take advantage of these 96 hr liberty periods. If there are any questions or concerns, route them through your NC Line Office Liaison as needed.