PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF: 

	BOARD DATE:           15 August 2000                   
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2000035780

	I certify that hereinafter is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in the case of the above-named individual.  

	Mr. Carl W. S. Chun		Director	
	Mr. Robert J. McGowan		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Mr. Thomas D. Howard Jr.		Chairperson	
	Mr. Arthur A. Omartian		Member	
	Ms. Gail J. Wire 		Member	

	The applicant and counsel if any, did not appear before the Board.

	The Board considered the following evidence:

	Exhibit A - Application for correction of military 
                records
	Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including
	            advisory opinion, if any)

FINDINGS:

1.  The applicant has exhausted or the Board has waived the requirement for exhaustion of all administrative remedies afforded by existing law or regulations.

2.  The applicant requests that he be paid a reenlistment bonus for his June 1999 reenlistment.

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that he was approved for reclassification into military occupational specialty (MOS) 91K, Medical Laboratory Specialist, in September 1998, but the action was never completed.  When he reenlisted on 7 June 1999, he was forced to do so in MOS 91B, Medical Specialist.  He finally was awarded MOS 91K on 11 November 1999.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he is a specialist (E-4) serving in MOS 91K.  With prior service in the United States Naval Reserve, he enlisted in the Regular Army for 4 years on 16 January 1996 for training in MOS 91B.  He was approved for voluntary reclassification into MOS 91K in September 1998, but through no fault of the applicant's, the action was never officially completed.

5.  The applicant reenlisted on 7 June 1999 and should have been entitled to a Selective Reenlistment Bonus (SRB) of SRB-1A.  However, because the MOS action had never been properly completed, he had to reenlist under MOS 91B and was not given the SRB-1A bonus.

6.  In the processing of this case, an advisory opinion was obtained from the Retention Management Division, US Total Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM) which states that the applicant’s MOS reclassification action was not properly completed in September 1998 through no fault of the applicant.  It recommends that he be awarded the SRB-1A reenlistment bonus.  The applicant was provided a copy of the advisory opinion for comment/rebuttal; he did not respond.

7.  Army Regulation 601-280 prescribes criteria for the Army Retention Program and sets forth policies, command responsibilities for immediate reenlistment or extension of enlistment of soldiers currently serving in the Active Army.  The SRB program is a retention incentive paid to soldiers in certain selected MOSs who reenlist for a minimum of 3 years.  The objective of the SRB program is to increase the number of reenlistments in critical MOSs that do not have adequate retention levels to man the career force.  Although Department of Defense policy permits SRB payments of up to $45,000.00, soldiers may be paid bonuses up to six times their monthly basic pay at discharge, times the number of years of additional obligated service, or $20,000.00, whichever is less.  A qualified soldier may be paid an SRB only once within each zone of eligibility.  The bonus will be paid in addition to any other pay and allowances to which the soldier is entitled. Soldiers reenlisting for Indefinite Status will not be paid a Selective Reenlistment Bonus.  Eligibility by MOS is specified in PERSCOM messages.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  In 1998, the applicant reclassified into an MOS that qualified for an SRB.  When he reenlisted on 7 June 1999, he learned that his reclassification action had not been processed properly and he was reenlisted in his old MOS.

2.  The PERSCOM, in an advisory opinion, recommended that the applicant be awarded an SRB-1A reenlistment bonus for MOS 91K.  The Board agrees with the PERSCOM advisory opinion.

3.  In view of the foregoing, the applicant’s records should be corrected as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by paying to the individual concerned a selective reenlistment bonus, SRB-1A, for MOS 91K.

BOARD VOTE:  

__tdh___  __aao___  ___gjw___  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		__Thomas D. Howard Jr.__
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2000035780	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	20000815	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY	DASA	
ISSUES         1.	128.0500	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.