A drilling reservist must complete 40 of 48 scheduled drills and 12-14 days of active drill time in a 12-month period to be considered a satisfactory participant in the reserves. In addition, they must maintain current contact and employment information and maintain their medical readiness. Although these are the minimums, some jobs require hours beyond this. Those additional hours increase the calculation of retirement pay you receive later. MPM 1001-150.

There are different divisions of the reserves and these divisions have different benefits and drilling requirements. At different times in your service, you may ask to switch between divisions. You can read more about the different divisions of the reserves here.

Typically, your reserve unit commander will be responsible for ensuring that you are drilling. The reserve unit commander can allow for flexible drilling, meaning you work from home on your own schedule, or may mandate that the unit drills at an NRC over the weekend. In most RC JAGC units, flexible drilling is utilized for many drill periods with one or two weekends a year being mandated times the unit will meet together at an NRC. If you are unsure where to drill, speak with your unit commander.

There is a federal law, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Acts (USERRA), that lays out the duties and responsibilities between a drilling Reservist and their employer. This law protects Reservists from retaliatory actions an employer may take due to the Reservists drilling requirements. This includes a promise of reemployment after a period of active duty as long as certain conditions are met. Check out all the links on the Department of Labor’s USERRA website for more information.

Yes, you will still have a CAC card, but you will need to get it re-issued at the NRC with your new certificates.

Yes, when you are drilling or on active duty time, you are under Navy jurisdiction, which includes being subject to the uniform and grooming standards.

Yes, as long as you meet certain criteria, you could be eligible for TRICARE Reserve Select or TAMP TRICARE.

Yes, as long as you belong to certain divisions within the Reserves. See Am I eligible for SGLI?

If you are a reservist, there are two types of retirement: retirement with pay, and retirement without pay. You retire without pay if you have not yet reached the age where you can retire with pay. You apply for retirement with pay once you reach age 60. In every instance, you must apply for retirement. Retirement in the reserves is based off a point system, where the more points you accrue in your career, the higher your retired pay will be. Your retired points are found on your Annual Statement of Service History (ASOSH) on BUPERS online. You can read more about retirement here.

Yes. Currently, Program Authorization 211, which authorizes the hiring practices of the RC JAGC, states that you have to have at least one (1) year of service, in any military service, in order to apply for the RC JAGC.