The Navy plans to shutter nearly all of it s Navy College offices in the continental U.S. by October 2016 in a huge reorganization that officials say will save money and still preserve customer service.

Navy officials have proposed closing most of the 33 offices in the continental U.S. and would shift most educational services processing and help to a hotline and website. But officials stress that this move won't impact tuition assistance or other education benefits, only how you sign up for them.

In a May 27 email to Navy voluntary education staff members, Capt. Janet Lomax, commanding officer of the Pensalola-based Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center said that an initial look at the fiscal 2017 budget "indicates funding for labor in VOLED will be significantly reduced starting in FY17," she said. "The mark is against CONUS based Navy College Offices."

This means, if finally approved, most of the remaining Navy College Offices around the United States would close.

What you need to know:

1. Revamp underway

The Navy's training establishment is in the middle of a reorganization to reduce initial training pipelines and build more robust, career long training in fleet concentration areas.

Officials are looking for every possible place to consolidate and save money to fund the new training. However, Navy officials deny these cuts are a done deal and as such say the proposals are in the early stages of discussion.

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"All [Program Objective Memorandum 2017] proposals are pre-decisional at this point and no final decisions have been made," said Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows, spokewoman for Naval Education and Training Command .

The Navy also plans to close the Center for Personal and Professional Development in Dam Neck, Virginia, by Sept. 30, and officials say they are seeking savings across the training domain .

2. Cutting offices and staff

The reality of the proposed cuts in labor costs is this will naturally bring with it then closing offices located on Navy Bases, though Navy officials say the proposals are so early in discussions that there isn't even a plan in place as to which offices could be on the block.

According to sources, Capt. Janet Lomax, the head of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center, told staff in June that cuts would eliminate 54 of the 80 Navy College positions . This means, sources say, that all but two or three of the service's 33 Navy College offices in CONUS would close. Most likely, the remaining offices would be in the largest fleet areas, such as Norfolk and San Diego.

In 2010, the service shuttered 15 Navy College offices at bases worldwide. The cuts, called a consolidation at the time, were necessary to fund the service's Virtual Education Center, which helps sailors over the phone.

3. Tuition money on tap

Support may be getting cut, but officials say tuition assistance and Navy College Afloat education benefits are safe. "The Navy remains totally committed to funding tuition assistance at the current levels," Meadows told Navy Times on June 19. The funding is expected to rise from $80 million this year to $89 million next.

And budgets are also rising for the Navy Program for Afloat College Education, known in the fleet as NCPACE, which puts instructors and college classes on Navy ships, with nearly $9 million set aside for fiscal 2016.

4. Closures

Since the Navy established the Virtual Education Center, customer traffic in the offices has dropped 47 percent, according to NETC data . Overall, there were 130,000 visits to Navy College offices in fiscal 2014.

Still, at the 33 U.S. Navy College Offices, the statistics say there were 130,000 visits to Navy College Offices nationp-wide in fiscal 2014. Of those roughly 100,000, the statistics show ended up needing actual counseling or assistance at the office.

There will be no effect on any of the 10 overseas offices: Atsugi, Misawa, Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan; Guam; Bahrain; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Rota, Spain; and Sigonella and Naples, Italy.

5. Distance support

If the Navy pulls the trigger , sailors will be forced at most U.S. bases to go online for their off-duty education needs.

The Navy College website offers many resources, including how to contact the Virtual Education Center, which is open Monday through Friday, 15 hours a day .

If the service closes most offices, officials say it will likely result in some increase in hours and services through the Virtual Education Center.

In fiscal 2014, officials say roughly 55,700 calls and another, 43,600 of those were documented as getting follow-on assistance from the virtual counselors.

In response to both phone and online queries, in fiscal 2014, the center responded to both phone and online queries from sailors with 89,977 tuition assistance emails and another 33,703 emails sent sailors their joint service transcripts. In addition 18,438 emails answered general services inquires and 5,557 were counseling emails sent to advise sailors on specific items.

-- Mark D. Faram