The FLPB process

One of my soldiers had his foreign language proficiency bonus (FLPB) money run out while we were deployed, so I had to go over to the finance office to sort things out. I learned some pretty interesting stuff.

And since my posts about taking the French and Korean DLPT are among the most popular ones I've done, I thought I'd explain the process.

Normally, the way this process works is you get a DA 4187, signed by your commander, to take the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT). After taking the test (and scoring a 2/2 or higher, entitling you to FLPB for that language) you get another 4187 to take to battalion S-1.

The S-1 shop will issue orders that you take with the 4187 and the original scoresheet over to the finance office. You then get the money in your paycheck for the next 12 months, at which point you have to repeat the process.

There is an exception, though: if you're deployed when your year runs out, you can get an extension for up to 180 days after you return.

In my soldier's case, he took the test in February 2010. We deployed in November of that year, and returned this past November. His extension gets him FLPB all the way up to May 2012. That's not too shabby -- over two years of FLPB for only one test.

He's also pretty lucky to have taken the test when he did. One month after he took the test, in March 2010, his language was downgraded from a class "A" language to a class "B." However, because he took the test before the reclassification, he got grandfathered in at the "A" rate -- $300 a month for his 2+/2+ score.

In his situation, it behooves him to wait all the way up to May to retest. If he retests before that, his FLPB will be recomputed at the new rate and his year of compensation will be at the "B" rate.

I told him that -- in the meantime -- he should use the Defense Language Institute's GLOSS website to improve his skills. Though his language may be at a lower rate, scoring a 3/3 might get him the difference back.