DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 
Application for the Correction of 
the Coast Guard Record of: 
 
                                                                                BCMR Docket No. 2000-166 
 
 
   

 

 
 

 

FINAL DECISION 

 
ANDREWS, Attorney-Advisor: 
 
 
This  proceeding  was  conducted  according  to  the  provisions  of  section  1552  of 
title 10 and section 425 of title 14 of the United States Code.  It was docketed upon the 
BCMR’s receipt of the applicant’s request on July 25, 2000. 
 
 
members who were designated to serve as the Board in this case. 
 

This  final  decision,  dated  May  31,  2001,  is  signed  by  the  three  duly  appointed 

APPLICANT’S REQUEST AND ALLEGATIONS 

 
The applicant, a former xxxxxxxxxxxx in the Coast Guard and current member of 
 
the  Army  Reserve,  asked  the  Board  to  correct  his  military  record  by  changing  his 
reenlistment code from RE-3R (eligible for reenlistment except for disqualifying factor: 
unsuccessful  in  obtaining  professional  growth  objective)  to  RE-1  (eligible  for  reenlist-
ment). 
 
 
like to serve in the Coast Guard Reserve instead. 
 

The applicant alleged that he is currently serving in the Army Reserve but would 

SUMMARY OF THE RECORD 

The  applicant  enlisted  as  a  seaman  recruit  in  the  Coast  Guard  on  October  19, 
1987.    Upon  completing  boot  camp  in  December  1987,  he  was  advanced  to  seaman 
apprentice.    On  September  16,  1988,  he  was  advanced  to  seaman.    In  the  summer  of 
1990, the applicant attended “A” School to become a xxxxxxxx.  On September 7, 1990, 
he was advanced to xxxxxxxxx.   

 

In  1991,  the  applicant  received  several  adverse  administrative  entries  in  his 
record,  documenting  several  “bounced”  checks,  costly  clerical  errors,  poor  workman-
ship, misuse of government telephones, and not following proper procedures.   

 
In  1994,  the  applicant  received  an  administrative  entry  noting  that  during  the 
previous several months he had made many costly record-keeping errors, failed to fol-
low instructions, and showed an inability to learn from his mistakes.  The entry further 
stated that he appeared to work hard but that his work had “not improved to satisfac-
tory levels.” 
 
 
In 1995, the applicant received evaluation marks of 2 (on a scale from 1 to 7, with 
7  being  best)  in  the  performance  categories  “professional/specialty  knowledge”  and 
“quality of work.”  The administrative entry accompanying these marks stated that he 
was  lacking  the  “basic  knowledge  of  the  standard  workstation,  personnel  property 
accountability  system,  and  routine  correspondence.”    It  also  stated  that  he  could  not 
format a file, often lost electronic files, and misfiled documents. 
 
 
The applicant continued to receive very low performance marks.  In 1996, he was 
reduced in rate from XXX, pay grade E-4, back to seaman, pay grade E-3.  Apart from 
his  continued  unsatisfactory  performance,  there  is  no  cause  for  the  reduction  in  rate 
apparent in his official record.  
 
 
On July 31, 1997, the applicant received an involuntary honorable discharge at 
the  end  of  his  enlistment  for  failing  to  meet  the  required  Professional  Growth  Points 
(PGP) under the High Year Tenure (HYT) system.  He received an RE-3R reenlistment 
code and a JBC separation code.  The narrative reason for separation shown on his DD 
214 is “maximum service or time in grade.”  Thereafter, he apparently joined the Army 
Reserve. 
  

 
On January 11, 2001, the Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard submitted an advi-
sory opinion recommending that the Board deny the requested relief.  The Chief Coun-
sel pointed out that the applicant’s RE-3R reenlistment code is not an absolute bar to his 
reenlistment  “if,  in  the  opinion  of  his  Recruiter,  Applicant  has  resolved  his 
disqualifying  factor  and  his  Recruiter  believes  the  Coast  Guard  would  benefit  from 
Applicant’s reenlistment.” 
  
 
The Chief Counsel adopted by reference a memorandum prepared by the Coast 
Guard Personnel Command (CGPC) concerning the applicant’s case.  CGPC stated that 
under  Article  12.G.9.  of  the  Personnel  Manual,  members  in  pay  grades  E-3  and  E-4 
“may  reenlist  or  extend  up  to  but  not  beyond  seven  years,  one  month’s  active  Coast 
Guard service and 10 years, 1 month total military service.”  Therefore, he argued, the 

VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 

applicant could not reenlist when his enlistment expired at the end of July 1997, because 
he had already completed more than 10 years and 1 month of total military service.   
 

CGPC stated that the applicant had failed to submit a request for waiver of the 
PGP requirement.  CGPC also attached a copy of Article 12.G.9. of the Personnel Man-
ual, which indicates that members may not seek such  waivers unless they are in pay 
grade E-4 or above. 
 

CGPC  further  stated  that  under  Article  2.E.1.b.2.  of  the  Recruiting  Manual,  no 
member in pay grade E-3 or below can reenlist if he or she has more than 6 years of 
prior  active  service.    Because  the  applicant  has  more  than  10  years  of  prior  service, 
CGPC  stated,  he  is  not  eligible  to  reenlist.    Furthermore,  because  the  applicant  is  37 
years old, under Figure 3-2 in the Recruiting Manual, he cannot reenlist because he is 
not in pay grade E-4 or above.   
 

APPLICANT’S RESPONSE TO THE VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 
 
On January 12, 2001, the Chairman sent the applicant a copy of the views of the 
Coast  Guard  and  invited  him  to  respond  within  15  days.    On  February  5,  2001,  the 
applicant responded.  He indicated that he thought he had “no choice albeit reluctantly 
but to make no objection” to the Chief Counsel’s advisory opinion. 
 

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS 

 

 
Article  12.D.6.a.  of  the  Coast  Guard  Personnel  Manual  in  effect  in  1997  stated 
that “HYT establishes limits on the amount of time an active duty enlisted member can 
remain at each paygrade.  It is designed to increase personnel flow and compel member 
to advance in their rating.”   
 

Article 12.D.6.b.(3) defined Professional Growth Points (PGP) as the “maximum 
time in service for each pay grade.”  Article 12.D.6.c.(3) states that for members in pay 
grade  E-3  and  E-4,  the  PGP  is  “7  years  active  Coast  Guard  service  or  10  years  active 
military service whichever gives the member a greater total of active military service.  
[Members  may]  reenlist/extend  up  to,  but  not  beyond  7  years,  1  month  active  Coast 
Guard service or 10 years, 1 month active military service.”  Article 12.D.6.i. provides 
that only members in pay grades E-4 and above may request a waiver of PGP require-
ments. 
 
The  Separation  Designator  Program  (SPD)  Handbook  provides  that  members 
who  are  involuntarily  discharged  when  they  have  attained  the  maximum  amount  of 
time or service in a pay grade are assigned an RE-3R reenlistment code, JBC separation 
code, and “maximum service or time in grade” as a narrative reason for separation. 
 

 
Article 1.G.6.7. of the current Personnel Manual states that a “person desiring to 
enlist or reenlist in the Coast Guard Reserve must not have over 13 years’ total military 
service and not more than 10 years of active duty, unless enlisted or reenlisted within 24 
hours at the same unit from which discharged.  Such a person NOT enlisting or reenlist-
ing within 24 hours may be considered for a waiver in accordance with the Recruiting 
Manual, COMDTINST M1100.2 (series), and must be processed through a Coast Guard 
recruiting office.” 
 

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS 

 
 
The  Board  makes  the  following  findings  and  conclusions  on  the  basis  of  the 
applicant's military record and submissions, the Coast Guard's submissions, and appli-
cable law: 
 

The Board has jurisdiction concerning this matter pursuant to section 1552 

of title 10, United States Code.  The application was timely. 

 At the end of his enlistment in July 1997, the applicant was in pay grade 
E-3 and had served 9 years, 9 months, and 12 days in the Coast Guard and 10 years and 
9 days of total active duty in the military.  Therefore, under Article 12.D.6. of the Per-
sonnel Manual, he had exceeded the PGP for his pay grade and was ineligible to reenlist 
or to seek a waiver of the PGP.   

The  SPD  Handbook  requires  that  members  involuntarily  discharged 
because they have exceeded their PGP under HYT be assigned an RE-3R reenlistment 
code.  Therefore, the applicant has not proved that his reenlistment code was assigned 
in error. 
 
4. 

The  applicant  apparently  is  currently  serving  in  the  Army  Reserve  and 
would like to transfer to the Coast Guard Reserve.  However, under Article 1.G.6.7. of 
the Personnel Manual and other provisions in the Recruiting Manual, he is ineligible for 
enlistment  in  the  Coast  Guard  Reserve  unless  a  Coast  Guard  recruiter  seeks  and 
receives a waiver on his behalf.   

The  RE-3R  code  is  not  an  absolute  bar  to  his  joining  the  Coast  Guard 
Reserve,  but  the  applicant  must  be  able  to  convince  a  Coast  Guard  recruiter  that  he 
would be a significant asset to the Reserve.  The applicant’s military record indicates 
that during his more than 6 years as a xxxxxx third class in the Coast Guard, he was 
unable to master the basic skills of his rate.  Therefore, the Board finds that the RE-3R 
code on his DD 214 does not constitute an injustice. 

1. 

 
2. 

 
3. 

 
5. 

 
6. 
 

Accordingly, the applicant’s request for relief should be denied. 

 

 
 
 

[ORDER AND SIGNATURES APPEAR ON NEXT PAGE]

 
 

The application for correction of the military record of XXXXXXXXX, USCG, is 

ORDER 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 
Barbara Betsock 

 

 

 
George J. Jordan 

 

 

 
John A. Kern 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hereby denied.