RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS IN THE MATTER OF: DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2012-05967 COUNSEL: NONE HEARING DESIRED: NO ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT: His 30 Nov 2012 Fitness Assessment (FA) be declared void and removed from the Air Force Fitness Management System (AFFMS). ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT: He failed the FA as a result of side effects of prescription medication. He was taking Mucinex-D twice daily for sinusitis and one of the known side effects is a fast, irregular heartbeat. He is on a profile for an issue with his knee which requires him to complete the one mile walk. At the start of the one mile walk, the attached heart rate monitor indicated a resting heart rate of 134 beats per minute. He advised the FA test monitor that he believed it was an error since it was higher than his normal resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute. The test monitor advised him that indications are sometimes higher initially but settle over time. Looking back, he should have questioned this more. At the completion of the FA, the heart rate monitor showed beats per minute as 178. He complained to the test monitor who agreed to check the monitor after the completion of the remainder of the FA. The heart rate monitor was still indicating 154 beats per minute five minutes after removal. At the conclusion of the FA, the test monitor verified that the monitor was working correctly and calculated a failing score on the cardio component. The applicant was told that he should have been on a profile exempting him from the walk if prescribed a medication affecting his heart rate, and his only recourse was to submit to the Board since the scores had already been entered into AFFMS. He was seen by the flight medicine clinic and the physician determined that he had experienced a sinus tachycardia that could be related to the pseudoephedrine in the Mucinex-D. In support of his request, the applicant provides a personal statement, copies of Standard Form 600, Chronological Record of Medical Care, and Air Force Form 422, Notification of Air Force Member’s Qualification Status. The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is at Exhibit A. ________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF FACTS: The applicant was approved for retirement effective 1 Aug 2013 and his AFFMS records are no longer available. The remaining relevant facts pertaining to this application are described in the letter prepared by the Air Force office of primary responsibility, which is included at Exhibit B. ________________________________________________________________ AIR FORCE EVALUATION: AFPC/DPSIM recommends partial approval. In accordance with Air Force Instruction 36-2905, Air Force Fitness Program, Air Force Guidance Memorandum (AFGM) 4, any medication that affects the heart rate or the heart’s response to exercise may invalidate the aerobic components of the FA. The applicant was on a medication that affected his heart rate. With that being the case, it is safe to assume the applicant's cardio component of the FA dated 30 Nov 2012, could have reasonably been affected by the medication he was prescribed at the time of the assessment. While the applicant is requesting invalidation of the entire FA, there is no evidence to support invalidating the AC, push-up, and sit-up components. The medication the applicant was taking affected his heart rate, a factor that is not calculated in any FA component except the walk test. The applicant no longer has AFFMS records and DPSIM is unable to provide FA information. The complete DPSIM evaluation is at Exhibit B. ________________________________________________________________ APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION: On 17 Sep 2013, a copy of the Air Force evaluation was forwarded to the applicant for review and comment within 30 days (Exhibit C). As of this date, this office has not received a response. ________________________________________________________________ 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 error or injustice requiring partial relief. After carefully reviewing this application, we agree with the recommendation of the Air Force office of primary responsibility and adopt the rationale expressed as the basis for our decision that the applicant has been the victim of either an error or an injustice. Accordingly, we recommend the applicant’s record be corrected to the extent 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 the cardio component of his Fitness Assessment, dated 30 Nov 2012, be amended to reflect “exempt” in the Air Force Fitness Management System. ________________________________________________________________ The following members of the Board considered AFBCMR Docket Number BC-2012-05967 in Executive Session on 9 Jan 2014, under the provisions of AFI 36-2603: , Panel Chair , Member , Member All members voted to correct the records, as recommended. The following documentary evidence was considered: Exhibit A. DD Form 149, dated 3 Dec 2012, with atchs. Exhibit B. Letter, AFPC/DPSIM, 24 Aug 2013, w/atch. Exhibit C. Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 17 Sep 2013. Panel Chair