Personnel Specialist; PS

Navy Personnel Specialists (PS) are the Navy’s customer support representatives for their fellow sailors.

The PS provides their shipmates with both counseling and information regarding Navy-related occupations. They also provide information on general education and job training opportunities, rights and benefits, and promotion requirements.

The Person nel Specialist also helps to decode and determine travel entitlements. They help calculate military pay and associated deductions, as well as maintain and audit payroll and personnel records for Navy enlisted personnel.

The PS also prepares accounting/financial reports related to travel and pay transactions and updates the associated accounting systems.

Personnel Specialist (PS) became an official Navy rating in 2005 when the Navy merged the Disbursing Clerk (DK) and Personnel man (PN) ratings. These original ratings go back to 1948.

To serve as a Personnel Specialist (PS) in the United States Navy, you must meet certain requirements:

• Must be between the ages of 18 and 41.
• Must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Must not have been convicted for any crime — particularly larceny or fraud — by a civilian or martial court within the previous 36 months.
• Must have an Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score of VE (Verbal) + MK (Mathematics Knowledge) = 103 or VE + MK + Coding Speed (CS) >=148.

Personnel Specialist is one of the few Navy ratings that don’t require US citizenship.

Like all other Navy enlisted personnel, Personnel Specialists must successfully complete 10 weeks of Navy Recruit Training. This takes place at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes (RTC Great Lakes).

The five-week-long Personnel Specialist (PS) A School is located in Meridian, Mississippi.

Through a combination of group and individualized instruction, as well as practical application, future PSs are familiarized with the forms and procedures of naval personnel administration.

The day-to-day duties of a Personnel Specialist include answering questions and updating personnel records that pertain to leave balances, pay stubs, payroll deductions, travel itineraries, and travel pay.

You’ll spend time onboarding new personnel, processing transferring personnel, and helping them prepare for changes in permanent duty station or retirement.

You’ll also be processing the paperwork for other types of separations.

A Personnel Specialist is your unit’s go-to person for information related to Navy occupations and promotion information. You’ll advise on their rights and benefits, and counsel them on the requirements for promotion or change of rating.

One of the most rewarding tasks for a Personnel Specialist is the ability to assist sailors and their families during times of personal hardships or special problems.

Whether it’s filing for emergency leave or accessing special care for minor dependents, you’ll be able to help your fellow sailors recover and thrive through life’s ups and downs.

Personnel Specialists normally work in office environments. Depending on the assignment, most of the work is administrative in nature.

PSs may work with others under close supervision or alone with limited supervision.

While ashore, Personnel Specialists are usually assigned to a Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). When at sea, they are traditionally assigned to the Personnel, Supply, Training, or Administrative Departments.

Personnel Specialists enjoy a great Sea/Shore Rotation.

A PS will spend about 75 percent of their time ashore and 25 percent of their time assigned to the fleet.

Like all the other Armed Services, the Navy bases a sailor’s pay on their rank and length of service.

Like all military service members, PSs may also receive additional compensation. These include a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), sea pay, and other incentives.

I must admit that I was amazed at the overwhelmingly positive reviews by current and former Personnel Specialists.

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