HQ USMEPCOM North Chicago, Ill. –
Starting in April, USMEPCOM will reintroduce Saturday processing days at select MEPS around the country.
In coordination with the different service recruiting partners, 14 MEPS and the Las Vegas remote processing station were chosen for the first Saturday processing day, April 22. Those 14 MEPS are: Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Fort Jackson, Miami, Montgomery, New York, Raleigh and Tampa.
For future Saturdays May 6 and June 24, 15 MEPS will again be selected by USMEPCOM leadership in conjunction with input from the recruiting partners.
On Saturday processing days July 8, Aug. 26 and Sept. 9, all 65 MEPS locations and the Las Vegas remote processing station will be available, but a minimum of 5 projected medical exams are required for a MEPS to open during these summer months.
“We understand the difficult recruiting environment our recruiting partners are operating in and this is one way we can support them,” said Army Col. Megan Stallings, commander, USMEPCOM. “I am always so impressed and proud of the service members and civilians at our MEPS across the country for their hard work to get after our mission and support our partners.”
Saturday processing will follow the normal rules of operations, requiring 48-hour scheduling lead time for projections.
“We know recruiting is tough right now for the services,” said David Davis, chief of operations and readiness division, J-3. “We just want to show that MEPCOM is doing its to part to help them get across the finish line. Saturdays provide that increased flexibility for individuals still in school or who work late to have an opportunity outside of normal working hours.”
MEPS staff will be joined on Saturdays by the service liaisons and recruiting personnel, to ensure that all operations are available just like any normal processing day.
If the Saturday processing day falls on the first Saturday of a pay period, USMEPCOM and MEPS personnel’s schedules can be adjusted the following week to accommodate the extra hours. If it falls on the second Saturday however, they will be granted overtime or compensation time based on whether they are exempt or non-exempt employees.
According to Mary Grant, chief of civilian personnel division, J-1, volunteers will be chosen first for Saturday processing shifts. If not enough people volunteer to meet staffing needs, supervisors will select personnel for Saturday processing on a rotating basis. She advises any personnel with questions about their schedules or pay related to Saturday processing days to work with their supervisors and MEPS administration. However, if any additional questions or issues arise, she suggests they should reach out to customer service representatives in J-1.