June 18, 2019 —
All separations can and should be approved as soon as all the information is completed on the separation orders (prior to or on the day of departing on terminal leave).
DO NOT wait until the date of separation to approve a separation order. At a minimum, separations must be approved no later than two days prior to the SPO Data Entry/Approval Cutoff for the pay calendar for the member's separation date to allow time for processing.
For example, if the member's separation date is 23 February (end-month February pay calendar), the separation must be approved on or before 12 February, which is two days before the "SPO Data Entry/Approval Cutoff" for the end-month February pay day.
Waiting until the separation date to approve the separation WILL cause overpayments to members.
We are also seeing separation orders (RELADs and discharges) with proceed time and travel time on them. RELADs and discharges are not authorized proceed time and travel time. When this information is entered, it is charged as leave and oftentimes puts members in a negative balance on leave, causing them to be in an overpaid status.
Also, as a reminder, there is no "days leave to sell" block on the separation transaction. DA will automatically pay out for unused leave as part of the separation process. The leave carryover block is only used for Reserve Component members authorized to carry unused leave into inactive duty and for members changing components with no break in service (this does not include a regular member being released from active duty and transferred to the Coast Guard Reserve to fulfil their initial military service obligation).