DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 
Application for the Correction of 
the Coast Guard Record of: 
 
                                                                                        BCMR Docket No. 2009-023 
 
XXXXXXXXXX. 
xxxxxxxx, BM2/E-5 
   

 

 
 

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 November 14, 2008, 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  July  16,  2009,  is  approved  and  signed  by  the  three  duly 

APPLICANT’S REQUEST AND ALLEGATIONS 

 
 
The applicant, a boatswain’s mate, second class (BM2), asked the Board to correct his 
record to show that he is eligible to receive a Zone A selective reenlistment bonus (SRB)1 for 
signing a 4-year enlistment/reenlistment contract on September 30, 2008.  He stated that although 
his contract shows that he was entitled to the bonus, he never received the bonus and “was misled 
to believe I was eligible for the bonus by unit and SPO offices.”  The applicant also submitted a 
copy of a Page 72 which purports to show that he was counseled on October 8, 2008, that he was 
eligible to reenlist for a maximum of 6 years for an SRB under ALCOAST 304/07.  
 

 

                                                 
1  SRBs  allow  the  Coast  Guard  to  offer  a  reenlistment  incentive  to  members  who  possess  highly  desired  skills  at 
certain  points  during  their  career.    SRBs  vary  according  to  the  length  of  each  member’s  active  duty  service,  the 
number of months of service newly obligated by the reenlistment or extension of enlistment contract, and the need of 
the Coast Guard for personnel with the member’s particular skills, which is reflected in the “multiple” of the SRB 
authorized for the member’s skill/rating, which is published in an ALCOAST.  Coast Guard members who have at 
least 21 months but no more than 6 years of active duty service are in “Zone A”, while those who have more than 6 
but less than 10 years of active duty service are in “Zone B”.  Members may not receive more than one SRB per 
zone.  Coast Guard Personnel Manual, Articles 3.C. and 3.C.4.a. 
2  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. 

SUMMARY OF THE RECORD 

On December 9, 2002, the applicant enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve for a term of 
eight years, through December 8, 2010.  He completed BM “A” School on October 1, 2004.  On 
November 1, 2007, he was called to active duty in the Reserve under Title 10.  On September 30, 
2008,  the  applicant  integrated  into  the  regular  Coast  Guard  by  signing  a  four-year 
enlistment/reenlistment contract.  His Reserve DD 214 dated September 29, 2008, shows that he 
had completed 10 months, 29 days of active duty and had previously completed six months and 
23 days of active duty.  The contract states that he is “entitled to a Zone “A” SRB with multiple 
1.2 based on 48 months newly obligated service.”   
 

VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 

 

 

 

 

On April 6, 2009, the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Coast Guard submitted an 
advisory opinion and recommended that the Board deny relief in this case.  The JAG stated that 
although the applicant’s September 30, 2008, enlistment/reenlistment contract states that he was 
entitled to receive an SRB, he was not eligible for an SRB because he served only 11 months on 
active duty when he integrated into the regular Coast Guard, and a reservist must have served at 
least  12  months  continuous  active  duty  for  an  enlistment  in  the  regular  Coast  Guard  to  be 
considered  a  reenlistment.    The  JAG  also  stated  that  the  applicant’s  active  duty  base  date3 
(ADBD)  needs  to  be  adjusted  before  any  decision  can  be  made  with  regards  to  his  SRB 
eligibility.   
 

RESPONSE TO THE VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

On April 10, 2009, the Chair sent the applicant a copy of the views of the Coast Guard 

 
 
and invited him to respond within 30 days.  The Chair did not receive a response. 
 

APPLICABLE LAW 

Article 1.G.1.a. of the Coast Guard Personnel Manual provides that “the enlistment of any 
person who has previously served in the regular Coast Guard shall be considered a reenlistment.  
The enlistment of Coast Guard Reserve personnel who are serving on extended active duty and 
who  have  served  on  extended  active  duty  for  12  months  or  more  shall  be  considered  a 
reenlistment.” 
 
 
the following criteria: 
 

Article 3.C.4.a.of the manual states that to receive a Zone A SRB, the member must meet 

1.  Reenlist not later than 3 months after discharge or release from active duty in a rating 
authorized an SRB multiple. 

                                                 
3 A member’s active duty base date is the date the member entered active duty for pay purposes. 

2.  Have completed 17 months continuous active duty (including extended active duty 
as a Reserve) at any point in their military career.  The 17 months continuous active duty 
need not have been completed immediately prior to the reenlistment or extension. 

3.  Have completed not more than 6 years active service on the date of reenlistment or 
the date on which the extension becomes operative. 

4.  Be serving in pay grade E-3 or higher on active duty in a rating that is designated as 
eligible for an SRB multiple. 

5.  Reenlist or extend enlistment in the regular Coast Guard for a period of at least 3 full 
years. 

6.  Have not previously received a Zone A SRB. 

7.  Attain eligibility prior to the termination of a multiple for that particular rating. 

8.  Meet any additional eligibility criteria the Commandant may prescribe. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALCOAST 286/08 was issued on June 13, 2008, and went into effect on July 16, 2008. 
Under ALCOAST 286/08, BM2s are eligible for a Zone A SRB calculated with a multiple of 1.2. 
 

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: 
 

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

application was timely. 
 

2.  The applicant alleged that he was promised an SRB for signing a 4-year reenlistment 
contract on September 30, 2008, but that he never received the bonus.  The JAG recommended 
that  the  Board  deny  relief  because  pursuant  to  Article  1.G.1.a.  of  the  Personnel  Manual,  the 
applicant  did  not  serve  on  extended  active  duty  (EAD)  with  the  Reserves for the requisite 12 
months, and thus his contract was an enlistment, rather than a reenlistment, and SRBs are not 
available to members signing enlistment contracts.  Although the JAG stated that the applicant’s 
ADBD  needs  to  be  adjusted  before  a  decision  can  be  made,  the  applicant’s  DD  214  dated 
September 29, 2008, clearly shows that he had previously served 6 months and 23 days on active 
duty and had just completed 10 months and 29 days of active duty under Title 10.  Therefore, 
recalculating his ADBD is not needed to determine his eligibility for an SRB.    

 
3.  The applicant’s record contains an enlistment/reenlistment contract dated September 
30, 2008, stating that he was eligible to receive an SRB for signing a 4-year contract.  However, 
the applicant was not eligible to receive an SRB for signing an enlistment/reenlistment contract 
on  September  30,  2008,  for  two  reasons:    First,  Article  1.G.1.a.  of  the  manual  states  that  the 
enlistment of Coast Guard Reserve personnel who are serving on EAD and who have served on 
EAD for 12 months or more shall be considered a reenlistment.  The applicant had served as a 

reservist on EAD for only 10 months and 29 days, from November 1, 2007, through September 
29, 2008.  Thus, he “enlisted” in the regular Coast Guard on September 30, 2008, and did not 
“reenlist” in the regular Coast Guard.  Second, pursuant to Article 3.C.4.a.2. of the manual, to 
receive a Zone A SRB a member must have completed 17 months of continuous active duty at 
any point in their military career.  On September 30, 2008, the applicant had completed only 10 
months and 29 days of continuous active duty and he had prior active duty periods adding up to 6 
months and 23 days.  
 

4.  Given the evidence on the Page 7 and on the contract dated September 30, 2008, the 
Board  finds  that  the  applicant  has  proved  by  a  preponderance  of  the  evidence  that  he  was 
erroneously promised a Zone A SRB for signing the 4-year contract to integrate from EAD in the 
Reserve to the regular Coast Guard.  If the applicant had been correctly counseled about his SRB 
eligibility,  he  would  have  known  that  he  needed  17  months  of  continuous  active  duty  to  be 
eligible for a Zone A SRB, and he might have remained on EAD as a reservist through March 31, 
2009, by which date he would have accumulated 17 months of continuous active duty.  Then he 
could have reenlisted in the regular Coast Guard on April 1, 2009, to receive the SRB because 
ALCOAST 286/08 was still in effect on that date.  The Board notes that the applicant’s Title 10 
orders were set to expire on October 31, 2008, and it is not clear from the record whether he 
would have been allowed to remain on active duty past that date if he had not already integrated 
into the regular Coast Guard on September 30, 2008.  However, given the applicant’s designated 
critical skill rating (BM2) and the lack of any statement from the Coast Guard denying that he 
would have been allowed to remain on EAD as a reservist past October 31, 2008, the Board will 
not presume that the applicant would have been unable to remain on active duty as a reservist 
past the scheduled expiration of his Title 10 orders.  In light of the erroneous promise of the SRB 
and the possibility that the applicant could have remained on active duty as a reservist through 
March  31,  2009,  and  reenlisted  in  the  regular  Coast  Guard  on  April  1,  2009,  to  receive  the 
promised  SRB,  the  Board  finds  that  relief  should  be  granted  by  correcting  the  date  of  the 
applicant’s integration from September 30, 2008, to April 1, 2009, so that he may be eligible for 
the SRB. 
 
5.  Accordingly,  the  applicant’s  record  should  be  corrected  to  show  that  he  did  not 
integrate into the regular Coast Guard on September 30, 2008, but that instead he continued as a 
member of the Reserve serving on EAD through March 31, 2009, and integrated into the regular 
Coast Guard on April 1, 2009, by signing a 4-year reenlistment contract to receive a Zone A SRB 
in accordance with ALCOAST 286/08. 

 
 

[ORDER AND SIGNATURES APPEAR ON NEXT PAGE] 

ORDER 

 

 

The  application  of  XXXXXXXXXXX,  xxxxxxx,  USCG,  for  correction  of  his  military 

record is granted as follows: 

 

 
The Coast Guard shall correct his military record to show that he did not integrate into the 
regular Coast Guard on September 30, 2008, and that, instead, he continued serving on extended 
active duty as a member of the Reserve through March 31, 2009, and integrated into the regular 
Coast Guard on April 1, 2009, by signing a 4-year reenlistment contract to receive a Zone A SRB 
in  accordance  with  ALCOAST  286/08.    His  DD  214  dated  September  29,  2008,  shall  be 
corrected to reflect that he was discharged from active duty in the Reserve on March 31, 2009, 
instead of September 29, 2008.  The Coast Guard shall pay him any amount due as a result of 
these corrections. 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

        

 
 Lillian Cheng 

 

 

 
 Nancy L. Friedman 

 

 

 
 Vicki J. Ray