Docket No. 598-20 
Ref: Signature Date 


This letter is in reference to your reconsideration request.  You previously petitioned the Board for Correction of Naval Records (Board) and were advised that your application had been denied.  Your case was reconsidered in accordance with Board procedures that conform to Lipsman v. Sec’y of the Army, 335 F. Supp. 2d 48 (D.D.C. 2004).  After careful and conscientious consideration of relevant portions of your naval record and your application, the Board found the evidence submitted was insufficient to establish the existence of probable material error or injustice.  Consequently, your application has been denied.   
  
A three-member panel of the Board for Correction of Naval Records, sitting in executive session, considered your application on 10 March 2020.  The names and votes of the members of the panel will be furnished upon request.  Your allegations of error and injustice were reviewed in accordance with administrative regulations and procedures applicable to the proceedings of this Board.  Documentary material considered by the Board consisted of your application, together with all material submitted in support thereof, relevant portions of your naval record and applicable statutes, regulations and policies. 

You requested that your active duty service date reflect 25 July 2003 and that you become eligible to retire in 2023; the Board, in its review of your entire record and application, carefully weighed all potentially mitigating factors, to include your assertions.  However, the Board concluded that in accordance with Title 10 U.S.C. section 6328, the months of active service in pursuit of a baccalaureate-level degree under the Seaman to Admiral (STA–21) program of the Navy of officer candidates selected for the program on or after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (approved on 28 October 2009) shall be excluded in computing the years of service of an officer who was appointed to the grade of ensign in the Navy upon completion of the program to determine the eligibility of the officer for retirement, unless the officer becomes subject to involuntary separation or retirement due to physical disability. Such active service shall be counted in computing the years of active service of the officer for all other purposes. Furthermore, on 12 November 2009, NAVADMIN 329/09 (Selection of applicants for the FY-10 Seaman To Admira-21 (STA-21) program) was published listing your selection in the program.  Therefore, the years you spent in the STA-21 program do not count towards your eligibility for retirement. 

Regarding your request for a personal appearance, the Board determined that a personal appearance with or without counsel will not materially add to their understanding of the issues involved.  Therefore, the Board determined that a personal appearance was not necessary and considered your case based on the evidence of record. 

It is regretted that the circumstances of your reconsideration petition are such that favorable action cannot be taken.  You are entitled to have the Board reconsider its decision upon the submission of new matters, which will require you to complete and submit a new DD Form 149.  New matters are those not previously presented to or considered by the Board.  In the absence of new matters for reconsideration, the decision of the Board is final, and your only recourse would be to seek relief, at no cost to the Board, from a court of appropriate jurisdiction. 

It is important to keep in mind that a presumption of regularity attaches to all official records.  Consequently, when applying for a correction of an official naval record, the burden is on the applicant to demonstrate the existence of probable material error or injustice.