RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
             AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:      DOCKET NUMBER:  BC-2007-03988
      INDEX CODE:  110.00
      COUNSEL:  NONE

      HEARING DESIRED:  NO

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

Block 28, Narrative Reason for Separation on her DD  Form  214,  Certificate
of  Release  or  Discharge  from  Active  Duty,  be  changed  from  "Alcohol
Rehabilitation Failure" to read "Administrative Separation."

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

She completed Alcohol Rehabilitation at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital  in
2005 and has been alcohol free since.  The Narrative Reason  for  Separation
has had a negative impact on employment possibilities.

In support of her application, she submits her DD Form 214.

Her complete submission, with attachment, is at Exhibit A.

________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

Applicant enlisted in  the  Regular  Air  Force  on  18  Jun  97.   She  was
progressively promoted to the grade of Staff Sergeant effective and  with  a
date of rank of 1 Feb 02.

The following information  was  extracted  from  a  mental  health/substance
abuse evaluation and ADP  program  failure  letter  written  by  a  military
medical director, dated 15 Jul 05.

On  8 Jan  04,  the  applicant  self-referred  to  the  Alcohol  Drug  Abuse
Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT) program.  On 11 May 05,  she  was  referred
to ADAPT after driving to a medical appointment while  under  the  influence
of alcohol (0.6 approximate  Blood  Alcohol  Content  Equivalent).   It  was
determined that she returned to  her  drinking  habits  which  started  with
moderate use of alcohol during a  deployment  and  routine,  heavy,  use  of
alcohol on a daily basis after her return from deployment.

ADAPT reengaged with treatment;  however,  she  was  referred  to  the  next
higher level of care, intensive out-patient (IOP services), provided at  the
VA  hospital.   Due  to  poor  communication  and  follow  through  by   the
applicant, on or about 7 Jul 05, she was deemed  an  ADAPT  program  failure
and diagnosed  with  Alcohol  Dependence,  Adjustment  Disorder  with  mixed
anxiety and depressed mood, post deployment.  The medical  director  opined,
among other things, that the applicant "was functioning  with  a  degree  of
impairment in judgment or reliability that will likely result in a  negative
impact upon her career and will likely hinder the successful  accomplishment
of  her  squadron's  mission."   He  recommended  she  be   administratively
separated due to program failure in her alcohol abuse treatment.

On 9 Dec 05, the applicant was  notified  by  her  commander  that  she  was
recommending her discharge because she had failed the  ADAPT  program.   The
applicant submitted a conditional waiver to a board hearing,  contingent  on
receiving no  worse  than  an  honorable  discharge.   On  22  Dec  05,  the
discharge authority approved the waiver.  She was honorably  discharged  and
released from military service on 27  Dec  05,  for  Alcohol  Rehabilitation
Failure.  She had served eight years, six months and  nine  days  on  active
duty.

The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application, extracted  from
the applicant’s military records, are contained in the  letter  prepared  by
the appropriate offices of the Air Force at Exhibits C & D.

________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

HQ  AFPC/DPSOS  recommends  denial.   DPSOS  states  that   based   on   the
documentation on file in  the  applicant’s  master  personnel  records,  the
discharge was consistent with the procedural  and  substantive  requirements
of the discharge regulation and was within the discretion of  the  discharge
authority.  Additionally, the applicant  did  not  submit  any  evidence  or
identify  any  errors  or  injustices  that  occurred   in   the   discharge
processing, and she provided no facts warranting a change to  her  narrative
reason for separation.

The complete DPSOS evaluation is at Exhibit C.

The BCMR Medical Consultant recommends  granting  the  applicant  relief  by
changing the  record  to  reflect  a  change  in  reason  for  discharge  to
Secretarial  Authority.   He   considered  the  totality  of  the  available
evidence, to include the initiative taken by the applicant to self-refer  to
the ADAPT program, her  initial  successes  in  the  program,  the  possible
contributory effects  of  a  deployment,  a  lack  of  associated  recurring
misconduct, and  her  well-established  track  record  of  exceptional  duty
performance.

The applicant demonstrated evidence suggestive of possible  alcohol  induced
liver disease in Jan 03, as suspected by her  elevated  serum  liver  enzyme
levels and history of alcohol ingestion.  After confirming the  presence  of
liver enlargement, she was advised to abstain from alcohol consumption.   On
26 Jun 03, she reported an improvement in her clinical symptoms, as well  as
demonstrated a progressive improvement in her liver enzyme  studies  towards
normal levels.  Several months later,  however,  she  self-referred  to  the
alcohol rehabilitation program.

The BCMR Medical Consultant opines events  leading  up  to  the  applicant's
discharge are related primarily to her return to  the  use  of  alcohol  and
poor compliance with treatment measures offered to her.   She  had  a  long-
standing history of alcohol dependence to the point of  adversely  affecting
her liver function.  She also carried a  diagnosis  of  Adjustment  Disorder
with mixed anxiety  and  depressed  mood  for  at  least  the  eight  months
preceeding the date of her discharge.  There is no substantial  evidence  of
record to support that her case should  have  been  referred  to  a  Medical
Evaluation Board for a determination of her fitness to serve or to  form  an
alternative medical basis for her discharge.  Despite her  clinical  issues,
she appears to have continued to  perform  the  duties  assigned  her  in  a
satisfactory manner with no evidence of misconduct.

The BCMR Medical Consultant's complete evaluation is at Exhibit D.

________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

Copies of the Air Force evaluations were forwarded to the  applicant  on  18
Apr 08 for review and comment within 30 days.  As of this date, this  office
has received no response.

________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

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

2.  The application was timely filed.

3.  Sufficient relevant evidence has been provided  to  persuade  the  Board
that a measure of relief is warranted.  It appears that  the  actions  taken
to effect the applicant’s separation from the Air Force were  in  accordance
with the governing instruction.  However, after reviewing  the  evidence  of
record it is our opinion that the narrative  reason  improperly  labels  the
reason for her discharge and inaccurately reflects the circumstances of  her
separation.  Therefore, we agree with the opinion and recommendation of  the
BCMR Medical Consultant  that  the  reason  for  her  separation  should  be
changed to “Secretarial Authority.”   Thus,  we  recommend  her  records  be
corrected as 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 on 27 December  2005,  she  received
an honorable discharge under the provisions of AFI 36-3208,  paragraph  1.2,
(Secretarial Authority), with a Separation Program Designator (SPD) code  of
“KFF.”

________________________________________________________________

The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number  BC-2007-
03988 in Executive Session on 19 Jun 2008, under the provision  of  AFI  36-
2603:

      Mr. Thomas S. Markiewicz, Chair
            Ms. Janet I. Hassan, Member
      Ms. Vinita J. Veneziano-Martin, Member

The following documentary evidence was considered in AFBCMR Docket Number
BC-2007-03988:

      Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 4 Dec 07, w/atch.
      Exhibit B.  Applicant’s Master Personnel Records.
      Exhibit C.  Letter, HQ AFPC/DPSOS, dated 8 Jan 08.
      Exhibit D.  Letter, BCMR Med Consultant, dated 10 Apr 08.
      Exhibit E.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 18 Apr 08.




      THOMAS S. MARKIEWICZ
      Chair


AFBCMR BC-2007-03988



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 APPLICANT be corrected to show that on  27  December  2005,  she
received an  honorable  discharge  under  the  provisions  of  AFI  36-3208,
paragraph  1.2,  (Secretarial  Authority),   with   a   Separation   Program
Designator (SPD) code of “KFF.”





  JOE G. LINEBERGER

Director

  Air Force Review Boards Agency