RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  00-02712
            INDEX CODE:  107.00

            COUNSEL:  NONE

            HEARING DESIRED:  NO


_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

The Air Force Commendation Medal awarded to him on 4  August  2000  be
used in computing his score in WAPS testing promotion cycle 00E7.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

Through no fault of his own he is being denied promotion to the  grade
E-7 (master sergeant), a promotion he has earned and worked very  hard
for.  This commendation medal put him  over  the  cutoff  score  by  2
points.  The original commendation medal write-up  was  completed  for
the period ending December 1998 by his supervisor, XXXXX at which time
he turned it into the  orderly  room  for  his  commander’s  approval,
corrections and  routing.   In  January  1999  XXXXX  became  his  new
supervisor.  XXXXX asked XXXXX several  times  over  the  next  couple
months where the medal package was.

Applicant's complete submission is attached at Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant is currently serving in the Regular  Air  Force  in  the
grade of technical sergeant.

The applicant’s total promotion score for the 00E7 cycle  was  306.42,
and the  score  required  for  selection  in  his  Control  Air  Force
Specialty Code (CAFSC) was 307.42.  If the decoration  is  counted  in
the applicant’s total score, he would become a selectee for  promotion
pending a favorable data verification check and the recommendation  of
his commander.

_________________________________________________________________


AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The  Chief,  Inquiries/AFBCMR  Section,  AFPC/DPPPWB,   reviewed   the
application and states the following:

      a.    The policies regarding the approval of  a  decoration  and
the credit of a decoration for promotion purposes are two separate and
distinct policies.  Current Air Force promotion policy  (AFI  36-2502,
Table 2.2, Rule 5, Note  2)  dictates  that  before  a  decoration  is
credited for a specific promotion cycle, the  close-out  date  of  the
decoration must be on or before the promotion eligibility cutoff  date
(PECD), and the date of the  DECOR-6,  Recommendation  for  Decoration
Printout (RDP) must be before the date of selections for the cycle  in
question.  Each promotion cycle has an established PECD which is  used
to determine in  which  Air  Force  Specialty  Code  (AFSC)  or  Chief
Enlisted Manager (CEM) Code the member will be considered, as well  as
which  performance  reports  and  decorations  will  be  used  in  the
promotion consideration.  The PECD for the promotion cycle in question
was 31 December 1999.  In addition, a decoration that a member  claims
was lost, downgraded, etc., must be verified and fully documented that
it was placed into official channels  prior  to  the  selection  date.
This also includes a decoration that  was  disapproved  initially  but
subsequently resubmitted and approved.

     b.     This decoration does not meet the criteria  for  promotion
credit during the 00E7 cycle, because there is  no  tangible  evidence
the decoration was placed into official channels  prior  to  the  date
selections for the 00E7 cycle were made.  This policy was initiated 28
February 1979 specifically to  preclude  personnel  from  subsequently
(after promotion selections) submitting someone for a decoration  with
a retroactive decoration effective date (close out) so as to put  them
over the selection cutoff score.  Exceptions to the above  policy  are
only considered when the airman can support a previous submission with
documentation or statements including  conclusive  evidence  that  the
recommendation was officially placed in military channels  within  the
prescribed time limit and conclusive evidence the  recommendation  was
not acted upon through loss or inadvertence.  In accordance  with  AFI
36-2803, Air Force Awards and Decorations Program,  paragraph  3.1,  a
decoration is considered to have been placed in official channels when
the decoration recommendation is signed by the initiating official and
indorsed by a higher official in the chain of command.  In this  case,
the recommendation was resubmitted into official channels on  19  July
2000.

    c.       Documentation  included  in  the  applicant's  case  file
reflects a Recommendation for Decoration Printout  (RDP)  date  of   6
March 2000 and is documented on the Special Order GA-XXXXXX,  dated  3
August 2000.  The recommendation package  for  the  subject  AFCM  was
intended to be submitted  in  November  1999;  however,  there  is  no
indication the package was placed into official channels prior to  the
date selections for the 00E7 cycle were made.  While they are  acutely
aware of the impact this recommendation has on the applicant's career,
there is no tangible evidence the decoration was placed into  official
channels before selections for  the  00E7  cycle  were  made  as  they
previously indicated.  To approve the applicant's request would not be
fair or equitable to many others in the same situation who  also  miss
promotion selection by a narrow margin and are not permitted  to  have
an "after the fact" decoration count in the  promotion  process.   The
applicant’s request to have the decoration included in  the  promotion
process for this cycle as an exception to policy  was  disapproved  by
the Promotion Management Section  at  AFPC.   They  concur  with  this
action.  They state, if the date placed  into  official  channels  was
changed it would not automatically entitle him  to  be  supplementally
considered for any previous promotion cycles, as it was not  a  matter
of record at the time selections were made.  Therefore, they recommend
denial of his request.

A complete copy of the evaluation, with  attachment,  is  attached  at
Exhibit C.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The  applicant  reviewed  the  Air  Force  evaluation  and   submitted
additional justification to be considered.

Applicant's  complete  response,  with  attachments,  is  attached  at
Exhibit E.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.    The applicant has exhausted all remedies  provided  by  existing
laws or regulations.

2.    The application was timely filed.

3.    Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented  to  demonstrate
the existence of probable error or injustice.   In  this  respect,  we
note that applicant met the criteria for award of the  AFCM;  however,
due to a faulty decoration tracking system at the squadron, group  and
wing levels  the  decoration  ended  up  being  lost.   Based  on  the
statement provided by the Staff Judge Advocate, we are  convinced  the
applicant has provided extensive credible evidence that, only  because
the first medal recommendation was lost, a second AFCM was placed into
official channels.  Since the delay in the processing of the award was
through no fault of the applicant,  and  the  actions  performed  were
completed well before  the  31  December  1999  promotion  eligibility
cutoff date and the 31 May 2000 promotion selection date,  we  believe
the award should be considered in  the  promotion  process  for  cycle
00E7.  Therefore, we recommend his records be corrected to the  extent
indicated below.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the  Department  of  the  Air  Force
relating to APPLICANT,  be  corrected  to  show  that  the  Air  Force
Commendation Medal awarded for the period 2  July  1994  to         31
December 1999 be used in computing his WAPS score for promotion  cycle
00E7.

It is further recommended  that  applicant  be  provided  supplemental
consideration for promotion to the grade of master  sergeant  for  all
appropriate cycles beginning with cycle 00E7.

If  AFPC  discovers  any  adverse  factors  during  or  subsequent  to
supplemental consideration that are separate and apart, and  unrelated
to the issues involved in this application, that would  have  rendered
the applicant ineligible for the promotion, such information  will  be
documented and presented to the board for a final determination on the
individual's qualification for the promotion.

If supplemental promotion consideration results in the  selection  for
promotion to the higher grade, immediately after  such  promotion  the
records shall be corrected to show that applicant was promoted to  the
higher grade on the date  of  rank  established  by  the  supplemental
promotion and that applicant is entitled to all pay,  allowances,  and
benefits of such grade as of that date.

_________________________________________________________________

The following members of the  Board  considered  this  application  in
Executive Session on 7 February 2001, under the provisions of AFI  36-
2603:

                       Mr. Vaughn E. Schlunz, Panel Chair
                       Mr. Roscoe Hinton, Jr., Member
                       Mr. Philip Sheuerman, Member

All members  voted  to  correct  the  records,  as  recommended.   The
following documentary evidence was considered:

      Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 30 Sep 00.
      Exhibit B. Applicant's Master Personnel Records.
      Exhibit C. Letter, AFPC/DPPPWB, dated 19 Oct 00.ibit D.  Letter,
AFBCMR, dated 10 Nov 00.
      Exhibit E. Applicant’s Response, w/atchs.




                             VAUGHN E. SCHLUNZ
                             Panel Chair







AFBCMR 00-02712
INDEX CODE:  107.00




MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF

      Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air
Force Board for Correction of Military Records and under the authority
of Section 1552, Title 10, United States Code (70A Stat 116), it is
directed that:

      The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air
Force relating to, be corrected to show that the Air Force
Commendation Medal awarded for the period 2 July 1994 to 31 December
1999 be used in computing his WAPS score for promotion cycle 00E7.

      It is further directed that applicant be provided supplemental
consideration for promotion to the grade of master sergeant for all
appropriate cycles beginning with cycle 00E7.

      If AFPC discovers any adverse factors during or subsequent to
supplemental consideration that are separate and apart, and unrelated
to the issues involved in this application, that would have rendered
the applicant ineligible for the promotion, such information will be
documented and presented to the board for a final determination on the
individual's qualification for the promotion.

      If supplemental promotion consideration results in the selection
for promotion to the higher grade, immediately after such promotion
the records shall be corrected to show that applicant was promoted to
the higher grade on the date of rank established by the supplemental
promotion and that applicant is entitled to all pay, allowances, and
benefits of such grade as of that date.





                             JOE G. LINEBERGER
                             Director
                             Air Force Review Boards Agency