BOARD DATE: 20 October 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150013842 BOARD VOTE: ___x______ __x_____ __x___ GRANT FULL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING ________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION 2 Enclosures 1. Board Determination/Recommendation 2. Evidence and Consideration BOARD DATE: 20 October 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150013842 BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The Board determined the evidence presented is 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 he applied for and was authorized payment of Board Certification Pay for the period 1 January 2013 through 31 July 2014 and paying him at the applicable rate. ____________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. BOARD DATE: 20 October 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150013842 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 payment of Board Certification Pay (BCP) from 1 January 2013 through 31 July 2014 (19 months). 2. He states he is an active duty Army physician who has remained board certified since 2002. 3. He provides: * American Board of Allergy and Immunology certificate and congratulatory letter * email, dated 21 July 2015 * leave and earning statements CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant is currently serving as a Regular Army Medical Corps lieutenant colonel. 2. He provided a diploma from the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, dated 8 October 2010 verifying he satisfied the requirements of the board. The expiration date noted on his certificate shows 31 December 2020. 3. He provides an email wherein he was informed by a staff member of the Army Medical Department (AMEDD), Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) that AMEDD could only authorize BPC retroactively for 11 months. He was advised to petition the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABMCR) for arrears BPC for the period from 1 October 2013 to 31 July 2014. 4. In the processing of this case, an advisory opinion was obtained from the Chief, AMEDD Special Pay Branch, OTSG, dated 25 July 2016, who states: a. BCP requests are initiated by the officer through his/her supporting Human Resource/Personnel/S-1 office. A review of supporting documentation and available finance data indicates the applicant's BCP expired on 31 December 2012, based on board certification expiration and renewal or secondary certification not received. Upon notification that the BCP was not being paid, the office authorized retroactive BCP commencing on 1 August 2014, with a current expiration date of 31 December 2020. The missing period of BCP is verified as 1 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. b. With submission of renewals and monitoring, the officer would have been eligible to receive BCP for the missing 19-months period from 1 January 2013 through 31 July 2014, totaling approximately $5,583 prior to any withholding. The exact payment would be determined by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date (HPPED) or finance Medical Special Pay (MSP) date of 1 July 2002 for the correct pay rates. 6. The advisory opinion was furnished to the applicant on 27 July 2016 for comment. He did not respond. REFERENCES: Title 37, U.S. Code, sections 301d, 302, 302f, and 303a, provide for multi-year retention bonuses and special pays for medical officers and health professionals of the Armed Forces. For Army Medical Corps officers (physicians), these special pays include BCP which is paid monthly to all board-certified Medical Corps officers based upon their dates of board certification and their creditable service used to establish the HPPED. DISCUSSION: 1. On 31 December 2012 the applicant’s BCP stopped based on board certification expiration, and renewal or secondary certification not received by AMEDD personnel. The applicant submitted his certification with a new board expiration date of 31 December 2020. He submitted a request for BCP which was initiated. However, AMEDD staff could not initiate arrears BCP for the period in question. 2. The OTSG database shows the applicant was board certified and eligible to receive discretionary BCP from 1 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. The OTSG official opined the applicant met the criteria, and recommended he receive BCP in arrears for the period 1 January 2013 through 31 July 2014. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings AR20150000953 Enclosure 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150013842 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150013842 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 2