RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2011-04722 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO _______________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: Her official records be corrected to reflect the following: 1. The date on her 21 Jul 11 Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM) be changed to 15 Nov 09. 2. She was selected for promoted to the rank of Technical Sergeant during the 2010 E-6 promotion cycle. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: Her supervisor neglected to put her in for a decoration when she left Permanent Change of Station (PCS) from Kunsan AB, Korea on 15 Oct 09. She was ultimately awarded the AFCM on 21 Jul 11; however, in the intervening period, she met the FY10 E-6 Promotion Board and missed being selected by 1.15 points. The AFCM is worth three points toward promotion. She requested supplemental consideration for selection to E-6, but her request was denied and she was told to file a claim with the Air Force Board of Corrections of Military Records. In support of her request, the applicant provides copies of her Promotion Supplemental Request with supporting documentation, multiple e-mails concerning the status of her award, and her request for supplemental promotion consideration. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant currently serves in the Regular Air Force in the rank of technical sergeant (E-6). The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are contained in the letters prepared by the appropriate offices of the Air Force, which are attached at Exhibits C and D. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSOE recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. The applicant believes her decoration covering the period 7 Oct 08 through 15 Oct 09 should have been considered in the promotion process for cycle 10E6 because of the circumstances which caused the delay in its award. If the decoration (worth three points) is counted in the applicant’s total score for cycle 10E6, she would become a selectee for promotion, pending a favorable data verification check and recommendation from her commander. Promotion selections for this cycle were made on 2 Jun 10. Current Air Force promotion policy (AFI 36-2502, Airmen Promotion/Demotion Programs, Table 2.2, Rule 7, Note 2) dictates that before a decoration is credited for a specific promotion cycle, the date of the DÉCOR 6 must be before the date of selections for the cycle in question. Each promotion cycle has an established promotion eligibility cutoff date (PECD) which is used to determine which performance reports and decorations will be used in the promotion consideration. The PECD for the cycle in question was 31 Dec 09. Although the signature date by her supervisor reflects 1 Oct 09, the decoration was not placed into official channels until sometime after 24 Aug 10 when the applicant’s supervisor admitted he had not submitted the decoration before he PCS’d in Oct 09. In addition, a decoration that a member claims was lost, downgraded, etc. must be fully documented and verified that it was placed into official channels prior to the selection date. The fact is the decoration was not submitted until after selections for this cycle were made (but within the 3-year timeframe required by decoration policy). To approve the applicant’s request would not be fair or equitable to many others in the same situation who miss promotion selection by a narrow margin and are not entitled to have an “after the fact” decoration count in the promotion process. This applicant was selected for promotion to E-6 during the FY11 E-6 selection cycle. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSOE evaluation is at Exhibit D. AFPC/DPSIDRA recommends denial, indicating there is no evidence of an error or injustice. In accordance with AFI 36-2803, The Air Force Awards and Decorations Program, Chapter 3, decoration recommendations are to be submitted as soon as possible following the act, achievement, or service. A recommendation must be entered into official channels within two years and awarded within three years of the act, achievement or service performed. A recommendation is placed in official channels when the recommending official signs the recommendation (DÉCOR 6, Request for Decoration Printout, and justification), and a higher official in the chain of command endorses it. The applicant provided e-mail traffic, dated 24 Aug 10, in which the recommending official states he did not submit the applicant for a decoration upon her departure from Korea due to an oversight. According to the provided e-mail traffic, the recommending official originally submitted the DÉCOR 6, signed and dated 7 Sep 10, but then later resubmitted the DÉCOR 6, and back dated it to 15 Oct 09. Although the recommendation was not submitted in a timely manner, the recommendation was placed into official channels within two years of the act, achievement, or service performed and awarded within three years in accordance with the AFI guidance. A complete copy of the AFPC/DPSIDRA evaluation is at Exhibit D. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the applicant on 10 Feb 12 for review and comment within 30 days. As of this date, no response has been received by this office (Exhibit E). ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT: 1. The applicant has exhausted all remedies provided by existing law or regulations. 2. The application was timely filed. 3. Insufficient relevant evidence has been presented to demonstrate the existence of an error or injustice. We took notice of the applicant's complete submission in judging the merits of the case; however, we agree with the opinions and recommendations of the Air Force offices of primary responsibility (OPR) and adopt their rationale as the basis for our conclusion the applicant has not been the victim of an error or injustice. Therefore, in absence of evidence to the contrary, we find no basis to recommend granting the relief sought in this application. ________________________________________________________________ THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT: The applicant be notified the evidence presented did not demonstrate the existence of material error or injustice; the application was denied without a personal appearance; and the application will only be reconsidered upon the submission of newly discovered relevant evidence not considered with this application. ________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2011-04722 in Executive Session on 5 Jun 12, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 23 Nov 11, w/atchs. Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records. Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPSOE, dated 5 Jan 12. Exhibit D. Letter, AFPC/DPSIDRA, dated 23 Jan 12. Exhibit E. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 10 Feb 12. Panel Chair