AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

DOCKET NUMBERS:  BC-2012-00500 
COUNSEL: NONE 
HEARING DESIRED:  NO 

IN THE MATTER OF:   
     
 
 
_________________________________________________________________ 
 
APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:  
 
His  separation  date  be  changed  from  18  September  2011  to 
30 September 2011.   
 
_________________________________________________________________ 
 
APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: 
 
After  leaving  the  United  States  Air  Force  Academy  (USAFA),  he 
officially  requested  he  be  considered  for  an  Administrative 
Turnback.    He  was  diagnosed  with  a  medical  condition  which 
required  surgery.    A  pre-authorization  for  the  surgery  was 
granted and the surgeon scheduled the procedure for 28 September 
2011.    His  official  notification  was  not  mailed  to  him  until 
5 October  2011,  which  was  after  the  surgery  took  place.    The 
doctor’s  office  handled  the  pre-authorization  process  and  they 
were  not  informed  at  any  time  that  the  pre-authorization  was 
invalid.  The separation was not signed until 28 September 2011, 
which was the day of his surgery.   
 
In  support  of  his  appeal,  the  applicant  provides  copies  of  his 
separation  order,  certified  postmark  envelope,  and  his  request 
for Administrative Turnback.  
 
The  applicant’s  complete  submission,  with  attachments,  is  at 
Exhibit A. 
 
_________________________________________________________________ 
 
STATEMENT OF FACTS: 
 
The  applicant  completed  his  Department  of  Defense  Medical 
Examination Review Board (DODMERB) physical on 13 October 2010.  
He  was  in-processed  into  the  USAFA  on  23  June  2011  after 
receiving  a  medical  waiver  for  a  single  episode  of  syncope 
(fainting)  which  his  civilian  doctor  attributed  to  dehydration.  
He  was  subsequently  seen  in  the  Cadet  Clinic  seven  times  for 
issues relating to fatigue or shortness of breath.  The applicant 
submitted a voluntary resignation on 3 July 2011.   
 
On  8  July  the  applicant  had  an  Echocardiogram  done  which 
documented a probably atrial septal defect (hole in the heart).  
On  12  July  2011,  the  applicant  requested  an  Administrative 

Turnback  based  on  a  “temporary  medical  condition  that  affected 
his  ability  to  complete  basic  training.”    His  request  for 
Administrative  Turnback  was  denied  for  medical  reasons  on 
18 September  2011.    His  discharge  orders  were  made  effective 
18 September  2011,  and  signed  on  28  September  2011.    He  had 
surgery to fix the hole in his heart on 28 September 2011.   
 
The  remaining  relevant  facts,  extracted  from  the  applicant’s 
military service record, are contained in the evaluation by the 
Air Force office of primary responsibility at Exhibit B.   
 
_________________________________________________________________ 
 
AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 
 
10 AMDS/CC recommends denial.  CC states the applicant’s request 
to  change  his  separation  date  from  18  September  2011  to 
30 September 2011 would allow his heart surgery to be paid for by 
the  Air  Force.    However,  his  heart  condition  is  congenital 
(existed at birth).  Subsequent medical evaluations indicate he 
had  symptoms  for  at  least  five  years  before  applying  to  the 
USAFA.  He did not report the magnitude or the duration of these 
symptoms on his DODMERB medical exam as he was required to do.  
His ten days of Basic Condition Training (BCT) did not exacerbate 
his condition.   
 
The complete JA evaluation is at Exhibit C.   
 
_________________________________________________________________ 
 
APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: 
 
Much  of  the  reasoning  cited  in  the  Air  Force  advisory  opinion 
seems to be important information in denying the pre-authorization 
request for his surgical procedure; however, the pre-authorization 
for his surgery was granted.  Had the preauthorization for surgery 
been denied, or if he was notified of the decision prior to his 
surgery, his parent’s insurance could have been used to cover the 
costs.  In fact, all of his neurological testing was paid for by 
his parent’s insurance and not billed to Tricare.  They were using 
his parent’s insurance until instructed by the Cadet Clinic that 
all care should be processed through Tricare.   
 
The diagnosis of arterial septal was not diagnosed during surgery 
and  seems  to  be  a  misdiagnosis  by  the  Tricare  cardiologist.  
Therefore,  talk  of  a  hole  in  his  heart  being  a  preexisting 
condition does not apply, as it does not exist.  His disenrollment 
notification,  dated  22  September  2011,  came  with  a  DD  Form  785, 
Record  of  Disenrollment  from  Officer  Candidate  –  Type  Training, 
attached  indicating  a  disenrollment  date  of  18  September  2011.  
The envelope was post-marked 5 October 2011, but the package did 
not contain any notification or instruction to inform him that the 
preauthorization  for  surgery  was  withdrawn  or  that  any  medical 

 

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approvals  were  withdrawn  with  the  decision  to  deny  his 
Administrative Turnback request.   
 
The combination of his medical condition and the emotional strain 
of  BCT  did  create  an  intensified  environment  he  had  not 
experienced before; however, after speaking with his doctors back 
home, he felt that if he could work through his medical condition, 
he could handle the emotional strain and had a desire to return to 
the USAFA.   
 
The applicant’s complete rebuttal, with attachments, is at Exhibit 
D.   
 _________________________________________________________________ 
 
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  presented  to 
demonstrate the existence of an injustice.  We find no evidence 
that  the  Air  Force  erred  in  this  case;  however,  the  fact  the 
applicant had a pre-authorization for surgery which was scheduled 
for 28 September 2011, and was not notified of his 18 September 
2011 discharge effective date until 5 October 2011, we believe an 
injustice  has  occurred.    We  note  his  discharge  order  was  not 
signed until 28 September 2011, the day of his surgery; however, 
the applicant and his physicians were unaware of the separation 
effective  date.    The  back-dated  effective  date  inadvertently 
caused  the  applicant  to  be  responsible  for  the  cost  of  his 
surgery.  Therefore, based on the aforementioned, we believe in 
order  to  provide  the  applicant  fair  and  equitable  relief,  his 
records should 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  he  was  not 
released from active duty on 18 September 2011, but was continued 
on active duty until 30 September 2011. 
 
________________________________________________________________ 
 

 

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  Panel Chair 
  Member 
  Member 

The  following  members  of  the  Board  considered  AFBCMR  Docket 
Number  BC-2012-00500  in  Executive  Session  on  21  August  2012, 
under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: 
 

 
All  members  voted  to  correct  the  records,  as  recommended.    The 
following documentary evidence for AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2012-
00500 was considered: 
 

Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 10 Feb 12, w/atchs. 
Exhibit B.  Letter, 10 AMDS/CC, dated 6 Mar 12. 
Exhibit C.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 27 Mar 12.  
Exhibit D.  Letter, Applicant, dated 14 Apr 12, w/atchs.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

  
  

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

  
Panel Chair 

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