ETS the week of due date

akkraem

I am due the week before or week of my ETS.  Does anyone know how this will work?  No one at my unit is sure.  They are telling me I may have to extend through my last postpartum appointment but I know the Army pays for the pregnancy and postpartum care even if we elect a chapter 8 discharge and leave in the middle of the pregnancy.  I can't get a straight answer from anyone about who might know this answer.  I have my OB department orientation tomorrow so I will ask there, but I was wondering if anyone here has experienced this.  

katieboo82

I would have been on maternity leave during my ETS.  I was due on Feb 8 and my ETS was March 9.  I was told I would need to extend because you cannot be on ANY type of leave when you ETS.  Now, would you be on any terminal leave?  If you could go on terminal leave prior to your ETS date, you should be fine.  Although, take into account you could go into labor prior to your due date.  I had my DD almost 2 weeks early.  OB may not be able to help you, but it never hurts to ask.  Who have you asked in your unit?  Sometimes if one person doesn't know, asking around to others and even go up a level will help.  What branch are you?

akkraem

I am army and have asked my commander, 1SG, a few SFCs in the unit and some women who recently gave birth (in hopes of them knowing someone this happened to).  I did plan on taking transition leave before my due date but that would end the day I entered the hospital.  I wouldn't be charged for any hospital days or convalescent leave.  I will be on convalescent leave on my actual ETS date unless I'm a week or two late.  I plan on scheduling an appointment with the social worker at my clinic.  She was very knowledgeable about some other topics.  I need to talk to Tricare too, to see what postpartum appointments are covered.  

Thank you for your answer.  I didn't think the extension information was right, but maybe it is.  Now just to find out who would know the right answers for my situation.  Unfortunately, my unit just wants me to reenlist and are trying to use my pregnancy to change my mind (bad economy, another mouth to feed, etc.).  The army has been good to me for almost a decade but I am done.   Do you think reenlistment NCOs/career counselor's or legal would know?  

LisaBea

Im due in May and my EST is July.  If I was to take termianl leave, it would start a week before my due date.  What I opted to do was take convalecent leave (which puts me at 2 weeks before my ETS) then clearing and Im going to extend for terminal leave.  I talked to transition becasue they know all of the rules as to ETS and being on leave.  They also told me that I cant clear on con leave and if I went into labor before terminal leave started, I wouldnt be able to take terminal leave.  Good luck!! 

katieboo82

I would listen to LisaBea.  Go to transitions.  My instinct is to tell you not to go to reenlistment because more than likely they will give you false information to try to get you to reenlist.  Transistions won't do that to you.  I was stationed in the WTU at Walter Reed when I was pregnant, and the information they gave me may have been false since they normally just tell people to get out.  I ended up taking a chapter 8 anyway.