BOARD DATE: 22 December 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160010533 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: 22 December 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160010533 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 was approved for Board Certification Pay and paying him Board Certification Pay in arrears for the period 29 May 2012 through 6 June 2015, using a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance Medical Specialty Pay Date of 14 June 1996 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. BOARD DATE: 22 December 2016 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160010533 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 Board Certification Pay (BCP) for the period 29 May 2012 to 6 June 2015. 2. The applicant states: a. He has not received BCP from 29 May 2012 to present. b. The Chief of the Medical Corps sent out a newsletter on 1 June 2016 with a directive that all Medical Corps officers should check their pay as it had been determined that BCP was being stopped without notification of any kind. He checked and found this was the case with his own pay and he made an inquiry to his organization's special pay branch. He was informed his BCP was stopped on 29 May 2012 even though he has been board certified since 29 May 2012. c. From the newsletter, this particular special pay stops after a 10-year period without notification. This error continued despite a full records review by his finance and special pay branches. 3. The applicant provides: * diploma/board certification * newsletter * email * Leave and Earnings Statement (LESs) CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant is currently serving on active duty in the rank of colonel assigned to the Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. 2. He provides documentation that shows he is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology (study of diseases of the ear and throat). The period of certification is from 29 May 2002 to 30 June 2022. 3. An advisory opinion was obtained from the Chief, Army Medical Department Special Pay Branch, Office of the Surgeon General, dated 3 November 2016. The advisory official recommends payment of BCP for the period 29 May 2012 through 6 June 2015 and states: a. Requests for the entitlement category of BCP are initiated by the officer through his or her command's supporting Human Resources/Personnel/S-1 office. If board certification renewals are issued, the officer must also submit renewal documentation to ensure BCP continues uninterrupted. Receipt of monthly BCP can be verified by the officer by reviewing his or her monthly LES entitlements column. Immediate action should be taken if payments stop abruptly. b. A review of supporting documentation and available special pay and finance data indicates BCP stopped on 29 May 2012 and that office authorized retroactive payments for BCP commencing 7 June 2015 with a current expiration on 30 June 2022. c. The missing period of BCP is verified as 29 May 2012 through 6 June 2015. d. With submission, renewals, and monitoring of the LES, officers would ensure no stoppage of their BCP. e. The applicant is eligible to receive BCP for the missing 3-year period 29 May 2012 through 6 June 2015, totaling approximately $15,450.00 prior to any withholding. The exact payment would be determined by Defense Finance and Accounting Service – Indianapolis utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance Medical Specialty Pay Date of 14 June 1996 for the correct pay rate level. 4. The advisory opinion was furnished to the applicant for information and to allow him the opportunity to submit comments or a rebuttal. He responded and agreed with the advisory opinion. REFERENCES: Title 37, U.S. Code, sections 301d, 302, 302f, and 303a, provides 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 date of board certification and their creditable service used to establish the Health Professions Pay Entry Date. DISCUSSION: 1. The evidence of record shows the applicant received board certification by the American Board of Otolaryngology in 2002. 2. The advisory opinion points out: a. The applicant's BCP stopped on 29 May 2012, and that office authorized retroactive payments for BCP commencing 7 June 2015 with a current expiration of 30 June 2022. b. The applicant's missing period of BCP is verified as 29 May 2012 through 6 June 2015. c. The applicant is eligible to receive BCP for the missing 3-year period 29 May 2012 through 6 June 2015, totaling approximately $15,450.00 prior to any withholding. d. The exact payment would be determined by Defense Finance and Accounting Service – Indianapolis utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance Medical Specialty Pay Date of 14 June 1996 for the correct pay rate level. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings AR20150000953 Enclosure 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20160010533 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20160010533 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 2