BOARD DATE: 16 May 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160015511 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: 16 May 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160015511 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 was approved for Board Certification Pay and paying her Board Certification Pay in the arrears for the period 5 January 2014 through 31 December 2015, utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance MS-Pay-Date of 9 June 2008 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: 16 May 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20160015511 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) from 5 December 2014 to 31 December 2015. 2. The applicant states, in effect, physician BCP was never started after she passed her oral boards on 5 December 2014. The documents were given to the special pay team at Walter Reed in January 2015; but BCP was never started. She was reassigned to Fort Belvoir, VA, in July 2015, and the local finance office messed up her status at the time she reported. Her pay was stopped all together for a short time. Eventually, in January 2016, the BCP was restarted. 3. The applicant provides letters from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Incorporated, dated between 30 August 2012 and 5 January 2017 (7 pages). CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant is currently serving on active duty in the rank of major assigned as a physician at Fort Belvoir, VA. 2. In the processing of this case, an advisory opinion was obtained from the Chief, Army Medical Department Special Pay Branch, Office of The Surgeon General (OTSG). The advisory official recommends payment of BCP for the period 5 December 2014 through 31 December 2015. Additionally, the advisory states: a. The applicant indicated that she was board certified, but her BCP was not started until 1 January 2016, even though she had provided the necessary documentation and followed-up with her command. b. Requests for BCP are initiated by the officer through their command’s supporting Human Resource Personnel Office. If board certification renewals are issued, they must also be submitted to ensure BCP continues uninterrupted. Receipt of monthly BCP can be verified by the officer reviewing the Leave and Earnings Statement. c. A review of supporting documentation and available special pay and finance data indicates the applicant was initially board certified as of 5 December 2014. This officer is authorized retroactive BCP commencing 1 January 2016, with a current expiration date of 31 December 2016. The missing period of BCP is determined as 5 December 2014 through 31 December 2015. d. The applicant is eligible to receive BCP for the period 5 December 2014 through 31 December 2015. The retroactive payment for this period is approximately $2,700. The exact payment will be determined by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance MS-Pay-Date of 9 June 2008 for the correct pay rate level. 3. On 27 December 2016, a copy of the advisory opinion was sent to the applicant for her information and to provide her an opportunity to submit comments or rebuttal. No response was received. REFERENCES: Title 37, U.S. Code, sections 301d, 302, 302f, and 303a, provides for multi-year retention bonuses and special pay for medical officers and health professionals of the Armed Forces. For Army Medical Corps officers (physicians), this special pay 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 Professional Pay Entry Date. DISCUSSION: 1. The applicant contends she is due BCP for 5 December 2014 through 31 December 2015 because she was eligible for it and she has not been paid the full amount due. 2. The advisory opinion clearly states OTSG has determined the applicant was eligible for BCP during the period in question and she has been retroactively paid a portion of the BCP due. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings AR20150000953 Enclosure 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20160015511 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20160015511 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 2