James-Day

Current internal medicine scenario

Selected September 19, 2026: board-certified O-4 just past 10 years, with dependents, ZIP 92134, constant 2026 dollars. Pay longevity steps at the beginning of years 3–4. Four eligible annual RB payments of $48,000 are assumed. Marit’s San Diego all-employer internist average is a benchmark, not a matched civilian-only offer.

Year	Monthly basic pay	Annual Navy cash	Benchmark	Cash gap	PV at 5%, year-end
2027	9420.00	276965.76	459057.00	182091.24	173420.23
2028	9420.00	276965.76	459057.00	182091.24	165162.12
2029	9888.30	282585.36	459057.00	176471.64	152442.84
2030	9888.30	282585.36	459057.00	176471.64	145183.65

PV = sum of annual gaps / 1.05^t for t = 1, 2, 3, 4 = $636,208.84. Undiscounted total = $717,125.76. Annual-equivalent cash gap = $179,418.42.

Verification and source limits

• Basic-pay amounts match the DFAS table’s O-4 over-10 and over-12 entries: officer pay. Search-indexed official text was available; direct requests returned 403.
• Officer BAS $328.48/month matches DFAS BAS, effective January 1, 2026, retrieved through indexed official text.
• IP $43,000, BCP $8,000, and four-year RB $48,000 match DFAS FY26 Medical Corps maxima. The table explicitly directs readers to service-specific amounts. Direct Navy guidance retrieval failed; Navy applicability and the individual’s agreement remain to verify.
• BAH $5,082/month is the existing lab’s San Diego O-4 with-dependents entry. The lab’s data record references the official lookup and a normalized third-party crosswalk. This turn did not independently retrieve the official 2026 rate table. Check the official lookup and applicable rate protection.
• Marit internist San Diego page, updated April 30, 2026 and retrieved September 19, 2026: $459,057 all-employer average. Preview includes a military contractor and different experience levels. Not a verified civilian offer.
• DoD active-duty retirement and BRS guide: 20 active years ordinarily required for a nondisability active pension. A 10-to-14-year cash-only window does not price the future retirement option. No zero pension-value claim is justified.

Timing correction

The previous lab used t = 0 for the first cash flow and payYos + i + 1 for later basic-pay steps. The paper and lab now use year-end t = i + 1 and starting longevity payYos + i. Existing tests are updated with independent cash arithmetic and explicit pay-step checks. Pension stream timing is unchanged.

Author’s policy choice

Test a limited Medical Corps social-media/advertising campaign about available nonfinancial opportunities. Its presumed low cost/ease is a hypothesis. Record staff time, content production, approvals, distribution and evaluation costs. The main objection is that lack of awareness may not cause departures. Measure acceptance and later retention versus standard communication, and stop/revise if only awareness changes.