IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 3 March 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20150016282 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 Non-Physician Board Certification Pay (NPBCP) from January 2014 through July 2015. 2. The applicant states: a. He is requesting back pay for unpaid NPBCP from January 2014 to July 2015 at a rate of $166/month. He contacted the U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC) and was told to open a case with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). DFAS personnel informed him to open a case with his finance department. The finance department at Fort Sill, OK stated it had to go through Office of The Surgeon General (OTSG) and not through finance or DFAS. He contacted HRC and was told that a case had to be opened with the Army Review Boards Agency to process back pay. He has come full circle and has not had any resolution. b. He has been board certified with American Association of Nurse Anesthetists since December 2013 and has worked at Reynolds Army Hospital as an Army Nurse Corps (ANC) officer since January 2014 as a staff anesthetist but was not receiving NPBCP. He would like to receive the pay he has been eligible for. DFAS has started paying in August 2015 but he would like to recoup back pay for the period of time he was credentialed to provide care at Fort Sill. 3. The applicant does not provide any additional evidence. CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. Having had prior enlisted service, the applicant was appointed as a Reserve commissioned officer of the Army and executed an oath of office on 12 June 2009. 2. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in June 2010. He completed the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Basic Officer Leader Course from February through March 2011. 3. On 3 June 2011, he was appointed as a Regular Army ANC commissioned officer and executed an oath of office. He served in a variety of assignments and he attained the rank of captain. 4. His records show he is a qualified RN who is licensed and was certified by the American Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists on 9 December 2013. On 24 January 2014, he was awarded a Master of Science in Nursing. 5. On 5 August 2015, he submitted a DA Form 4187 (Personnel Action) through his chain of command to HRC requesting NPBCP effective 9 December 2013. 6. On 19 November 2015, in the processing of this case, an advisory opinion was obtained from OTSG. An OTSG AMEDD Special Pay official stated: a. The applicant is requesting retroactive payment of discretionary NPBCP from January 2014 through July 2015. He indicates that he has been unsuccessful through numerous personnel and finance attempts to resolve the non-receipt of this pay. b. The eligibility criteria for receipt of discretionary NPBCP requires the officer to be board certified in their specialty by their national professional specialty board, and trained at the Master’s Degree level of education for their specialty. In tum, requests for NPBCP are initiated by the officer through their supporting Human Resource/Personnel/S1 office. If board certification renewals are issued, they must also be submitted to ensure NPBCP continues uninterrupted. Receipt of monthly NPBCP can be verified by the officer reviewing their monthly Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) entitlements column. c. Upon receipt of documentation and eligibility verification, this office initiated NPBCP payments at a rate of $2,000/year; payable $166.66/month effective 1 August 2015, with a current expiration of 31 July 2017. This period is the maximum authority this office has for NPBCP payments in arrears. There is no previous record of submission, authorization, or payment of NPBCP. d. A review of supporting documentation and available special pay and finance data indicates the officer met all criteria and would have been eligible to receive the discretionary NPBCP for the missing 18-month period of 24 January 2014 to 31 July 2015. The retroactive payment for this total period is approximately $3,044 prior to withholding; exact payment to be determined by DFAS-IN utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date (HPPED) or finance MS-Pay-Date of 24 January 2014 for the correct pay rate. e. In accordance with AR 37-104-4, Military Pay and Allowances Policy, 8 June 2005, Chapter 20 - Settlement Actions Resulting from Correction of Records by the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR); only the Director, DFAS-IN may make settlement actions affecting the military pay accounts of Soldiers as a result of correction of records by the ABCMR per provisions of AR 15-185. Therefore, any ABCMR relief granted should be addressed to the Corrections-Claims Section, DFAS-IN. 8. The advisory opinion was forwarded to the applicant for information and to allow him the opportunity to submit any comments or a rebuttal. He did not respond. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. Based on the applicant's request, finance data, and the supporting documentation, OTSG officials determined the applicant was eligible for receive the discretionary NPBCP for the period 24 January 2014 to 31 July 2015, but for some reason he did not submit a request for this pay. Upon receipt of his request, and upon determination of his eligibility, OTSG initiated payments effective 1 August 2015. 2. Although OTSG initiated payment effective August 2015, the applicant's NPBCP was still not paid from 24 January 2014 through 31 July 2015. There is no previous record of submission, authorization, or payment of BCP for this period. He was eligible to receive the pay. BOARD VOTE: ____X____ ____X____ ____X____ GRANT FULL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF ________ ________ ________ GRANT FORMAL HEARING ________ ________ ________ DENY APPLICATION 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 the applicant applied for and was authorized payment of NPBCP for the period 24 January 2014 to 31 July 2015 utilizing an HPPED or MSP date of 24 January 2014 for the correct pay-rate level. ____________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) AR20150016282 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20150016282 4 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 1