DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 
Application for the Correction of 
the Coast Guard Record of: 
 
                                                                                        BCMR Docket No. 2007-134 
 
XXXXXXXXXXX. 
 xxxxxxxxxx, BM3/E-4 
   

FINAL DECISION 

 
 
This is a proceeding under the provisions of section 1552 of title 10 and section 425 of 
title 14 of the United States Code.  The Chair docketed the case on May 16, 2007, upon receipt of 
the  applicant’s  completed  application,  and  assigned  it  to  staff  members  D.  Hale  and  
J. Andrews to prepare the decision for the Board as required by 33 C.F.R. § 52.61(c). 
 
 
appointed members who were designated to serve as the Board in this case. 
 

This  final  decision,  dated  January  ,  2008,  is  approved  and  signed  by  the  three  duly 

 

 
 

 

APPLICANT’S REQUEST AND ALLEGATIONS 

 
 
The  applicant,  a  boatswain’s  mate  third  class  (BM3),  asked  the  Board  to  correct  his 
record  to  show  that  he  is  entitled  to  receive  a  $10,000  selected  reserve  (SELRES)  affiliation 
bonus for signing a Reserve extension contract in June 2005 prior to his release from active duty 
(RELAD) on August 15, 2005.  He alleged that he signed the contract in June 2005 shortly after 
signing  a  Page  71  documenting  that  he  was  eligible  for  a  $10,000  SELRES  affiliation  bonus.  
However, he alleged, his unit lost the extension contract and so he never received the bonus.  He 
stated that several months after arriving at his new duty station in August 2005, he inquired as to 
the  status  of  the  bonus  and  was  told  that  the  Coast  Guard  had  lost  his  June  2005  extension 
contract  and  that  he  would need to sign another extension contract if he wanted an affiliation 
bonus.  He stated that he signed another extension contract on March 31, 2006, but received only 
a $7,500 affiliation bonus because a new ALCOAST had gone into effect, which had reduced the 
bonus amounts.   
 

 

SUMMARY OF THE RECORD 

The applicant enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve under the delayed entry program on 
December 12, 2000, for a term of eight years.  On January 16, 2001, he enlisted in the regular 
Coast Guard for three years, with an end of enlistment date of January 15, 2004.  His three-year 
                                                 
1  A  Page  7  (CG-3307,  or  Administrative  Remarks)  entry  documents  any  counseling  that  is  provided  to  a  service 
member as well as any other noteworthy events that occur during that member’s military career. 

enlistment contract obligated him to reenlist or extend his enlistment on active duty for at least 
one more year at the end of his three-year tour or to transfer to the SELRES for a minimum of 
three years upon being RELAD.  On May 15, 2003, the applicant extended his enlistment for 19 
months, through August 15, 2005.   

 
On June 3, 2005, the applicant signed a Page 7 documenting that he had been counseled 
that he was eligible for a $10,000 SELRES affiliation bonus, pursuant to ALCOAST 293/05, if 
he joined the SELRES and extended his Reserve obligation from December 12, 2008, through 
August 16, 2009.  On August 15, 2005, another Page 7 was placed in his record to document that 
he  had  been  advised  that  he  was  eligible  for  a  $10,000  level  “1”  SELRES  affiliation  bonus, 
pursuant to ALCOAST 293/05, although no extension contract had been entered in his record.  
The Page 7 further stated that his bonus would be based on 48 months of obligated service.   

 
On August 16, 2005, the applicant was RELAD into the Reserve, and was assigned to a 
SELRES  billet  at  a  Port  Security  Unit  (PSU).    On  October  17,  2005,  he  was  involuntarily 
returned to active duty under Title 10, and was assigned to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  On March 
31,  2006,  he  signed  a  12-month  extension  contract  and  received  a $7,500 SELRES affiliation 
bonus.2  He was RELAD into the SELRES on July 4, 2006, and returned to the PSU. 
 

VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

On October 1, 2007, the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Coast Guard submitted an 
advisory opinion in which he recommended granting relief.  The JAG stated that the Coast Guard 
counseled the applicant in June 2005 that he was eligible to receive a $10,000 affiliation bonus, 
but it never processed the required eight-month extension contract so that he could receive the 
bonus.    The  JAG  recommended  granting  relief  by  voiding  the  applicant’s  March  31,  2006, 
extension  contract  and  allowing  him  to  extend  his  enlistment  in  the  SELRES  on  August  15, 
2005,  for a term of eight months.  The JAG stated that this would qualify the applicant for a 
SELRES affiliation bonus of $10,000, in accordance with ALCOAST 293/05.   
 

RESPONSE TO THE VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 
 
On October 4, 2007, the Chair sent the applicant a copy of the views of the Coast Guard 
and  invited  him  to  respond  within  30  days.    The  applicant  responded  on  November  2,  2007, 
indicating that he agreed with the JAG’s recommendation.    
 

APPLICABLE LAW 

 

 

ALCOAST  293/05  was  issued  on  June  2,  2005,  and  provided  an  affiliation  bonus  for 
RELAD  personnel  obligated  to  serve  the  remainder  of  their  initial  eight-year  military  service 
obligation  in  the  ready  reserve.    ALCOAST  293/05  provided  petty  officers  in  critical  ratings 
(BM, MK, OS) assigned to critical units (PSU or NCW unit), a bonus of $2,500 for each full year 
of  remaining  military  service,  not  to  exceed  $10,000.   It also allowed commands to authorize 

                                                 
2 The applicant alleged that he signed the 12-month extension contract to replace the June 2005 extension contract 
that was lost by the Coast Guard. 

reserve extensions of enlistment for a member to achieve one additional full year of remaining 
obligated service in order to become eligible for an increased bonus amount. 

 
ALCOAST  056/06  was  issued  on  February  1,  2006,  and  replaced  ALCOAST  293/05. 
Under  ALCOAST  056/06,  only  petty  officers  E-5  or  above  were  eligible  for  a  SELRES 
affiliation bonus.    
 

 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 submission, and applicable law: 
 

The Board has jurisdiction concerning this matter pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 1552.  

The application was timely. 

1. 

 
2. 

 
4. 

3. 

The  applicant  alleged  that  he  did  not  receive  the  $10,000  SELRES  affiliation 
bonus that he was promised because the Coast Guard lost his extension contract.  He stated that 
because the Coast Guard lost the extension contract, he had to sign another extension contract 
several  months  later,  but  received  a  significantly  smaller  bonus  because  the  affiliation  bonus 
amounts had changed with the release of ALCOAST 056/06. 
 

The record indicates that the applicant was counseled with a Page 7 on June 3, 
2005,  that  he  was  eligible  to  extend  his  enlistment  to  receive  a  $10,000  SELRES  affiliation 
bonus pursuant to ALCOAST 293/05 if he obligated service in the SELRES through August 16, 
2009.    Although  the  applicant  alleged  that  he  signed  an  extension  contract  shortly  thereafter, 
there is no such contract in the record.  However, the Board finds that after being told that he was 
eligible for a $10,000 SELRES bonus on June 3, 2005, the applicant likely signed an extension 
contract  so  he  could  qualify  for  the  bonus.    In  this  regard,  the  Board  notes  that  upon  being 
RELAD on August 15, 2005, the applicant’s command had him sign another Page 7 stating that 
he was eligible for a $10,000 bonus for his 48 months of obligated service in the SELRES.  The 
applicant  would  not  have  had  48  months  of  obligated  service  had  he  not  already  signed  an 
extension contract.  Moreover, the JAG stated that the Coast Guard failed to process the required 
extension contract to qualify the applicant for the bonus.  Therefore, the applicant has proved by 
a  preponderance  of  the  evidence  that,  prior  to  being  RELAD  on  August  15,  2005,  and  while 
ALCOAST 293/05 was still in effect, he signed an extension contract obligating him to serve in 
the SELRES at least through August 15, 2009, and qualifying him for the $10,000 bonus.  He has 
also proved that he contract was never processed due to an administrative error. 

Therefore, to effect relief, the Board should correct the applicant’s record to show 
that  upon  his  RELAD  on  August  15,  2005,  he  extended  his  Reserve  enlistment  for  enough 
months  to  entitle  him  to  the  $10,000  bonus  for  four  full  years  of  obligated  service  in  the 
SELRES.  Since his original eight-year Reserve contract would end on December 11, 2008, the 
applicant needed to sign at least a nine-month extension contract (extending his obligation from 
December 12, 2008, through September 11, 2009) to have four full years of obligated service 
from August 16, 2005, though August 15, 2009. 
 

5. 

Accordingly,  relief  should  be  granted  by  removing  the  applicant’s  March  31, 
2006, extension contract from his record as null and void, and correcting his record to show that 
he signed a nine-month Reserve extension contract on August 15, 2006, to qualify for a $10,000 
SELRES affiliation bonus pursuant to ALCOAST 293/05. 
 
 
 

[ORDER AND SIGNATURES APPEAR ON NEXT PAGE]

ORDER 

 

 

The application of BM3 xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, USCGR, for correction of his military record 
is granted.  The Coast Guard shall remove his March 31, 2006, twelve-month extension contract 
from  his  record  as  null  and  void,  and  correct  his  record  to  show  that  he signed a nine-month 
Reserve extension contract on August 15, 2005, to receive a $10,000 SELRES affiliation bonus 
in accordance with ALCOAST 293/05, reduced by any affiliation bonus already received. 
 

The Coast Guard shall pay him any amount due as a result of these corrections. 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Francis H. Esposito 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

 
Randall J. Kaplan 

 

 

 
 
Darren S. Wall