IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 24 Mach 2015 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150001947 THE BOARD CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE: 1. Application for correction of military records (with supporting documents provided, if any). 2. Military Personnel Records and advisory opinions (if any). THE APPLICANT'S REQUEST, STATEMENT, AND EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant requests, in effect, retroactive award of Non-Physician Board Certification Pay (NPBCP). 2. The applicant states: a. she was informed to petition the ABCMR to request retroactive payments of greater than 12 months; b. the appropriate paperwork was not submitted in a timely fashion because there was no specialty pay person available during his in-processing; c. the Special Pay Branch has the authority to initiate NPBCP with back pay in the same to year for a board certified advanced practice nurse in an approved specialty; and d. requests for retroactive pay outside the current fiscal year are forwarded and assigned to a Defense Finance and Accounting Service official for adjudication and if the balance is not paid within 90 days, advisement is given to petition the ABCMR. 3. The applicant provides 11 pages of email communication and a 2- page document titled "National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists." CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant's military record shows that after having prior Reserve component and active duty service she was last ordered to active duty as an obligated volunteer officer in the Army Nurse Corps (ANC). She last swore an oath of office in the rank of captain on 20 February 2007. 2. In an advisory opinion, dated 23 February 2015, the Chief, Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Special Pay Branch, stated: a. The applicant is requesting payment of NPBCP for an unstated period. She indicates she was board certified, but did not receive NPBCP. b. The eligibility criteria for receipt of NPBCP requires an officer to be both board certified by their national profession board and to be trained at the master’s degree level of education for their specialty. c. Requests for NPBCP are initiated by the officer through their supporting human resource office. A review of supporting documentation and available special pay and finance data indicated the applicant was/is certified by the National Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) for the period 5 December 2012 to 31 July 2014 and 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2016. Records further indicate that the applicant was conferred her master's degree from Northeastern University on 25 January 2013. d. NPBCP was started on 1 August 2014 with a current expiration date of 31 July 2016. There is no record of submission, authorization, or payment of NPBCP for the period of board certification commencing on 25 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. b. The applicant is eligible to receive NPBCP for the 18-month period of 25 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. The retroactive payment for that total period is approximately $3,033.00 prior to withholding; exact payment to be determined by DFAS utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance MS-Pay-Date of 5 December 2012 for the correct pay rate. 3. On 25 February 2015, the advisory opinion was forwarded to the applicant for acknowledgment and comment. The applicant did not respond. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. The evidence shows the applicant was fully eligible for the requested NPBCP from 25 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. 2. In view of the foregoing, she is entitled to payment of NPBCP from 25 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. BOARD VOTE: ____X____ ___X_____ ___X_____ GRANT FULL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING ________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The Board determined that the evidence presented was sufficient to warrant a recommendation for relief. As a result, the Board recommends that all Department of the Army records of the individual concerned be corrected by showing the applicant was approved for Non-Physicians Board Certification Pay for the period 25 January 2013 through 31 July 2014 and paying her as appropriate. ____________X___________ CHAIRPERSON I certify that herein is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in this case. ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150001947 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS (ABCMR) RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150001947 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1