RIF of probationary employees

[anonymousM]

My boss gave us a heads up today that all DoD probationary employees will be RIF’d/laid off. Is this true? I just started Phase 2 in August 2024 so I’m still probationary status. What happens when I get RIF’d, I assume I don’t need to pay back my SMART scholarship…. hopefully?!

[trobertson815]

Yikes, hopefully not. I thought DoD was supposed to be more insulated from this kind of thing, so hopefully his information is just wrong. I think even supervisors are confused right now, as guidance comes down by the day. Personally, I'm phase 1, supposed to start at my SF this summer after graduation. I'm wondering how a potential RIF might effect me, or if anyone has heard anything about that.

[Guest]

I’m also very worried about this. I wish SMART would give some kind of guidance since I’m sure most phase 2 scholars are probationary. Personally I feel their only options should be to force the facilities to keep us regardless of what happens due to the service agreement or forgive our debt. But I don’t know anything for certain.

[Guest]

I asked about this, if you're Phase 2 and you're RIF'd, SMART will reach out to your SF POC to confirm that you weren't at fault for losing your job and that they're unable to extend your employment for you. Assuming all of that is true, and you didn't take the fork offer, then they recommend to the gov't that all debt be forgiven. Either way, have your performance reviews/SF50s handy to help your case if needed.

[Guest]

I don’t know what will happen, but my biggest concern is the fact that it doesn’t look like this is a normal RIF if it happens. From what I’ve seen, it appears to possibly be government wide firing of probationary employees for false claims of poor performance. I guess you could fight that with performance reviews as evidence, but it definitely seems like a concern to me.

[drewkuz]

Although federal the government has been unreasonable, I would imagine that if we are all laid off, we would get unemployment and they would forgive our "debt". How could they force us to work while not allowing us to work? But we are living in chaotic times and I suspect they will make it as stressful as possible.

[trobertson815]

I'm optimistic that SMART scholars still in service obligations may be okay. According to stuff I'm seeing anecdotally, we wouldn't be held for collections if the termination was out of our control.

If you think about it from the perspective of the feds, it's a bad investment policy to let us go. They've already sunk tens of thousands of dollars of investment into tuition, stipend, etc. Our service agreement, paid at a rate slightly lower than market value for labor in our fields, is really the only way they justify that expenditure. Their goal is to get long-term, well-educated, highly vetted employees.

It would be one thing if we'd been trading labor for wages from the beginning. Then, they could just terminate the agreement without a loss. But as of now, an early termination (at least for phase 1 or early phase 2 scholars) would mean giving away tons of money with very little given in return.

[AnonymousM]

Does anyone know of any probationary SMART Phase2 who has been terminated recently?

[Hello_world]

I haven’t heard of it happening yet. Supposedly next week over 5000 DoD probationary employees will be terminated, though. We’ll see if this affects us Phase 2 SMART Scholars.

[sprinkles]

Any updates here? I'm supposed to enter Phase 2 this summer and I'm getting worried

[Nobody]

On March 6th, 2025 a person I know from SMART was sent a letter. To summarize, it says:
--SMART will provide funding to scholars for their stipend benefits for up to six months while in the hiring process for employment. If the six months expire after the degree is awarded without hiring, the service commitment is waived and no repayment is required.
--If the scholar was accepted into the Deferred Resignation Program, repayment will not be required and the service commitment is waived.
--If the scholar was terminated from RIF, not as a result of misconduct, repayment will not be required and the service commitment is waived.
I'm trying to keep this generally anonymous and non-specific, probably just because I'm paranoid. My understanding is that any current scholar should have received this letter today.

[drewkuz]

I had taken the deferred resignation and I have been finishing up my out processing paperwork.

I got a call from the big-boss a few hours ago telling me that they may start gunning probationary employees any minute and if my paperwork is not complete, I will be fired.

Although my agency is extremely competent, they have been put in an idiotic situation.

[Anonymous1684930]

I’ve seen a flow chart circulating on Reddit guiding probationary cuts to DAF. One of the listed exemptions is “Individuals in Force Renewal Program regardless of Appointment Type (e.g. PAQ, Copper Cap, PCIP, etc.)” Anybody know if SMART would count here? It’s a scholarship-for-service program, so my gut says it may be in the “etc” of this list.

[AnonymousNAVSEA]

Just to add from my own command, NAVSEA kept all probationary employees and has no plans to let any go in the RIF things I've been given access to. I haven't heard of any SMART Phase 2 Scholars being let go from any of our related commands or partners (one at the Naval Research Lab in Stennis Space Center was worried but was retained).

Does anyone have any record of any SMART Phase 2 Scholars being definitively let go? I don't know if our status/program confers on us any kind of quasi-protected status in a RIF scenario.