MARADMIN 528/25 - Fiscal Year 2026 Judge Advocate Continuation Pay Program

Scope

MARADMIN 528/25 establishes the Fiscal Year 2026 Judge Advocate Continuation Pay program, a special pay retaining high-performing judge advocates in grades experiencing shortfalls. JACP totals a maximum of 110,000 dollars per officer, paid across three career phases. 37 USC 321 provides the legal authority. The program's eligibility window runs 2025-10-01 to 2026-06-01, and MARADMIN 323/26 later extended the application deadline through 2026-09-30 with every other provision unchanged. The program does not apply to the Marine Corps Reserve.

Audience

• Active component judge advocate captains and majors weighing a JACP contract.
• O-5 commanders and SJAs endorsing applications in the routing chain.
• HQMC JAD, MMOA-1, MMOA-3, and MPP-30, delegated authority to evaluate, administer, and verify eligibility.

Eligibility

Non-waivable criteria during the program window. Captain or major, active component, initial commissioning-program service obligation complete, qualified and certified as a judge advocate under 10 USC 801, Career Designation selected and accepted, more than 4 and fewer than 12 years of active commissioned service measured from the AFADBD, or the DORFC for prior-enlisted officers, with IRR time excluded, and agreement to continue serving as an active component judge advocate for the contract term. Funded Law Education Program accessions under MCO 1524.1 are ineligible, Excess Leave Program accessions qualify after completing the attendant obligation. Officers passed for promotion are ineligible until subsequently selected. Officers ineligible for an earlier phase by AFADBD still apply for a later phase, paragraph 12.

Payment provisions

• Phase I. Captains after Career Designation with 4 to 7 years of active commissioned service. Three annual payments of 10,000 dollars, 30,000 total.
• Phase II. On promotion to major with 7 to 10 years. 20,000 dollars first installment, 10,000 for the second and third, 40,000 total. Phase I obligated service completes before the Phase II contract starts.
• Phase III. Majors, including lieutenant colonel selects, with 10 to 12 years. Same 20-10-10 structure, 40,000 total, Phase II obligation completes first.
• The first installment pays no later than 30 days after the contract start date, the rest on contract anniversaries. The contract starts on MPP-30 approval or on completion of an existing non-concurrent obligation per 37 USC 373, whichever lands later.

Obligation and recoupment

• Approval incurs a three-year active duty service obligation from the contract start, served consecutively with existing obligations except where 37 USC 373 authorizes concurrency. Release from the obligation comes only from CMC (MP).
• Withdrawal requests submit no less than 90 days before the contract start on NAVMC 10274 to JAD.
• Pro-rated repayment of unearned amounts follows separation during the obligation, loss of Article 27(b) certification or suspension of a year or longer, misconduct-based incapacitation, or separation for cause. No recoupment follows death, combat-related disability absent misconduct, sole survivorship discharge, or a SECNAV equity determination.

Application

A standard naval letter to DC M&RA (MPP-30) via the first O-5 commander or O-5 SJA, CMC (JAD), and CMC (MMOA-1), scanned with signatures and emailed to the JAD inbox. Receipt confirms within 10 business days, processing runs up to eight weeks. On receipt at JAD and MPP-30 the application becomes a binding contract upon approval. Selection is not a career enhancement and does not annotate the fitness report. Payments tax per the DoDFMR outside the Volume 7A Chapter 44 paragraph 440202 exclusions.

Connection to Marine Corps policy

• MARADMIN 323/26. Extends this program's application window through 2026-09-30.
• MCO 1524.1. The Graduate Education Program defining the FLEP and ELP accession categories.
• DODI 1304.34 and 37 USC 321, 332, and 373. The bonus authority and repayment framework above the program.
• NAVMC 10274. The administrative action form carrying withdrawal requests.

Status

Active with the application window extended by MARADMIN 323/26, the message otherwise self-cancels 2026-06-01 at the program window's close. Signed 2025-11-03, R 032100Z NOV 25, released by Lieutenant General William J. Bowers, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. POCs sit at JAD (JPI), MPP-30, MMOA-1, and MMOA-3. Installation financial counselors stand ready for the tax and planning decisions a bonus of this size carries.