PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:      

	BOARD DATE:           18 September 2001
	DOCKET NUMBER:   AR2001053701

	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. W. W. Osborn, Jr.		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. JoAnn H. Langston		Chairperson	
	Mr. Melvin H. Meyer		Member	
	Ms. Karen A. Heinz	 	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 reconsideration of her earlier appeal for constructive service credit (CSC) for a two-year Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology.

3.  The applicant states, in effect, that in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 6000.13, that she should have been granted two years CSC credit for her MPH in Epidemiology as an adjunctive skill to her primary degree and specialty as a Medical Doctor (MD).  She provides a copy of her graduate school transcript and a 26 February 2001 letter from the Assistant Graduate Studies Coordinator, Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota. 

4. The Memorandum of Consideration of the Board’s 1 February 2001 review of her case (AR2000049110) is incorporated herein by reference as if wholly set forth.

5.  The applicant’s submissions are new evidence that requires Board consideration.  

6.  The applicant entered the Uniformed Services University of Health Science as a Medical Service Corps second lieutenant and upon receiving her MD she was commissioned a Medical Corps Captain with credit for 6 years, 8 months and 9 days total service, including 1 year entry grade credit.  

7.  The 26 February 2001 letter from the University of Minnesota stating that the applicant completed two full academic years in earning her MPH in Epidemiology.

8.  The Director of Medical Education, Office of the Surgeon General of the Army, has provided an opinion by memorandum dated 24 October 2000 to the effect that the applicant’s MPH warranted the award of an additional year of CSC and recommended that she be granted a total of two years entry grade credit.  The applicant concurred with this advisory opinion.

9. DODI 6000.13, dated 30 June 1997, Medical Manpower and Personnel, states in pertinent part:

	6.1.2. Constructive Service Credit.  This credit provides a person who begins commissioned service after obtaining the additional education, training, or experience required for appointment, designation, or assignment as an officer in 

a health profession, with a grade and date of rank comparable to that attained by officers who begin commissioned service after getting a baccalaureate degree and serve for the period of time it would take to obtain the additional education. Constructive service credit shall be determined according to the following guidelines:

6.1.2.2.  Constructive service credit shall be awarded as follows:

6.1.2.2.1.  Four years of constructive service credit shall be granted for completion of first professional degrees that include medical (M.D.), osteopathy (D.O.), dental (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), optometry (O.D.), podiatry (Pod.D. or D.P.), veterinary (D.V.M.), and pharmacy (Ph.D.). 

6.1.2.2.2.  Credit for master’s and doctorate degrees in a health profession other than medicine and dentistry, whether it is the primary degree or an additional advanced degree, shall be awarded based on actual full-time equivalent education of up to two years for a master’s degree and up to four years for a doctorate.  Credit may not include time spent in attainment of baccalaureate or other lower degrees. No additional credit may be given for more than one advanced degree in a single field, or closely related field.  The total credit allowed for having both a master’s and a doctorate degree may not exceed the maximum allowed for a doctorate.

6.1.2.2.3. The additional degree must add adjunctive skills to the primary specialty and must contribute directly to performance in the anticipated position in the Military Service concerned.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  Based upon the information available at the time the Board’s 1 February 2001 decision was appropriate.  However, the additional information about the course of study leading to her MPH indicates that the master’s degree was earned through two years additional study.  Therefore, in accordance with DODI 6000.13 an additional year of entry level CSC is appropriate.

2.  In view of the foregoing, correcting the applicant’s records as recommended below will rectify an injustice 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 for the individual concerned by  awarding her an additional year of constructive credit toward grade for her MPH in Epidemiology.

BOARD VOTE:  

__JHL __  __MHM__  __KAH__  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

                                                       _     _JoAnn H. Lanston__
		       CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR2001053701	
SUFFIX		
RECON		
DATE BOARDED	20010918	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE		
DATE OF DISCHARGE		
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY		
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.102.08	Constructive Credit	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.