DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 
Application for the Correction of 
the Coast Guard Record of: 
 
                                                                                        BCMR Docket No. 1999-048 
 
 
   

FINAL DECISION 

 
ANDREWS, Attorney-Advisor: 
 
 
This is a proceeding under the provisions of section 1552 of title 10 and section 
425 of title 14 of the United States Code.  It was docketed on January 13, 1999, after the 
Board received the applicant’s complete application. 
 
 
appointed members who were designated to serve as the Board in this case. 
 

This  final  decision,  dated  October  7,  1999,  is  signed  by  the  three  duly  

RELIEF REQUESTED 

 

 
 

 

 
 
The applicant, a xxxxxxxxxxx on active duty in the Coast Guard, asked the Board 
to  correct  his  military  record  to  show  that  he  was  discharged  and  reenlisted  on 
November 3, 1998, the sixth anniversary of the day he began active duty.  The applicant 
did not indicate for how long he wished to reenlist, but a reenlistment of three or more 
years  would  qualify  him  for  a  selective  reenlistment  bonus  (SRB)  under  ALDIST 
206/98.   
 

APPLICANT’S ALLEGATIONS 

The applicant alleged that his command failed to counsel him within the three 
months prior to his sixth anniversary on active duty that he could receive an SRB by 
reenlisting.  He alleged that the Coast Guard had a duty to counsel him about ALDIST 
206/98 and to document that counseling in his record with a page 7 entry.  He alleged 
that there was no such page 7 entry in his record. 

  

SUMMARY OF THE RECORD 

 

The applicant enlisted in the Coast Guard on November 3, 1992, for four years.  
On September 6, 1996, he was discharged and reenlisted for another four years.  There-
fore, his six-year active duty anniversary date was November 3, 1998.   

 
 
On  August  31,  1998,  the  Commandant  of  the  Coast  Guard  issued  ALDIST 
206/98, which allowed members to receive an SRB if they reenlisted or extended their 
current enlistments after October 1, 1998.  ALDIST 206/98 provided that members in 
the xx rating who extended their enlistments or reenlisted would receive an SRB cal-
culated with a multiple of two. 
 

There is no page 7 entry in the applicant’s record indicating that he was coun-
seled concerning SRBs during the three months prior to his sixth anniversary on active 
duty. 
 

VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

On September 7, 1999, the Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard recommended that 

 
 
the Board grant relief in this case.   
 
 
The Chief Counsel stated that the applicant should be granted relief because he 
“took prompt action to rectify the alleged error after its discovery and is now willing to 
offer a new reenlistment as consideration for the SRB he requests.”  The Chief Counsel 
stated that the Board should ask the applicant for how long he wishes to reenlist since 
he did not reveal this in his application.  The Chief Counsel also stated that the appli-
cant’s previously obligated service, through September 5, 2000, would reduce the total 
amount of obligated time upon which the applicant’s SRB would be calculated. 

 

APPLICANT’S RESPONSE TO THE VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 
On September 9, 1999, the Chairman sent the applicant a copy of the Chief Coun-
sel’s advisory opinion and invited him to respond within 15 days.  On September 21, 
1999, the applicant responded.  He agreed with the Coast Guard’s views and stated that 
he wished to be reenlisted for six years. 
 

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS 

 
 
Section 3.d.(1) of Enclosure (1) to Commandant Instruction 7220.33 (Reenlistment 
Bonus  Programs  Administration)  states  that  “[m]embers  with  exactly  6  years  active 
duty on the date of reenlistment or operative date of extension will be entitled to the 
Zone A multiple in effect for their rating if they are otherwise eligible.” 
  

 
Section 3.d.(9) of Enclosure (1) states that “[c]ommanding officers are authorized 
to effect early discharge and reenlist members within 3 months prior to their 6th, 10th, 
or 14th year active service anniversary dates (not to be confused with the normal expi-
ration of enlistment), for the purpose of qualifying for a Zone A, B, or C SRB respec-
tively.  In such cases, SRB payments will be reduced by any portion of unserved service 
obligation.” 
 
 
Enclosure (3) to the instruction states that during the three months prior to the 
end of an enlistment, each member must be counseled concerning his or her eligibility 
for an SRB, have his or her questions concerning SRBs answered, and be provided with 
a copy of Enclosure (5), which is entitled “SRB Questions and Answers.”  The counsel-
ing must be memorialized in the member’s record with a Form CG-3307 (page 7 entry) 
signed by the member. 
 

ALDIST  206/98,  issued  on  August  31,  1998,  established  SRBs  for  personnel  in 
certain skill ratings who reenlisted or extended their enlistments after October 1, 1998.  
The multiple to be used for calculating SRBs for members in the xx rating was two. 
 

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: 
 

1. 

The Board has jurisdiction concerning this matter pursuant to section 1552 

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

2. 

The  applicant  alleged  that  he  was  never  counseled  during  the  three 
months  prior  to  his  sixth  anniversary  on  active  duty  concerning  his  opportunity  to 
receive a Zone A SRB under ALDIST 206/98.  He alleged that, had he been properly 
counseled, he would have reenlisted for six years to receive the SRB. 
 

Under  Sections  3.d.(1)  and  3.d.(9)  of  Enclosure  (1)  to  Commandant 
Instruction  7220.33,  the  applicant  was  eligible  to  be  discharged  and  reenlisted  on 
November 3, 1998, his sixth active duty anniversary, to receive a Zone A SRB. 

3. 

 
4. 

 
Under  Enclosure  (3)  to  Commandant  Instruction  7220.33,  the  applicant 
had a right to be counseled concerning SRBs within the three months prior to his sixth 
anniversary on active duty.  There is no evidence that the Coast Guard counseled the 
applicant concerning his eligibility for an SRB during those three months.  Had he been 
so counseled, a Form CG-3307 should appear in his record, but there is none.   
 

5.  

 
The  Coast  Guard  failed  to  counsel  the  applicant  that  he  could  receive  a 
Zone  A  SRB  under  ALDIST  206/98  if  he  reenlisted  during  the  three  months  prior  to 
November 3, 1998, his sixth active duty anniversary.  If the Coast Guard had properly 
counseled the applicant, he would have reenlisted for six years to receive the SRB. 
 

6. 

Accordingly, the applicant’s request should be granted. 

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

ORDER 

 

hereby granted as follows.   

 
His  record shall be corrected to show that on November 3, 1998, the applicant 
was discharged and immediately reenlisted for a term of six years, through November 
2, 2004, for the purpose of receiving a Zone A SRB. 

 
The Coast Guard shall pay the applicant the amount due him as a result of this 

 
 

correction. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 
Angel Collaku 

 

 
Gareth W. Rosenau 

 

 

 
Sharon Y. Vaughn