PROCEEDINGS

	IN THE CASE OF:  

	BOARD DATE:             9 March 2000                  
	DOCKET NUMBER:    AR1999032881

	I certify that hereinafter is recorded the true and complete record of the proceedings of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records in the case of the above-named individual.  

	Mr. Edmund P. Mercanti		Analyst	

  The following members, a quorum, were present:

	Ms. June Hajjar		Chairperson	
	Mr. Thomas D. Howard, Jr.		Member	
	Ms. Carol Jo Suiter		Member	

	The applicant and counsel if any, did not appear before the Board.

	The Board considered the following evidence:

	Exhibit A - Application for correction of military 
                records
	Exhibit B - Military Personnel Records (including
	            advisory opinion, if any)

FINDINGS:

1.  The applicant has exhausted or the Board has waived the requirement for exhaustion of all administrative remedies afforded by existing law or regulations.

2.  The applicant requests that he be given a Regular Reenlistment Bonus (RRB).

3.  The applicant states that he was erroneously told that he was not eligible for a bonus when he reenlisted, but later discovered that he was in fact eligible for a bonus.

4.  The applicant’s military records show that he enlisted in the Regular Army with no prior service on 20 July 1990.  He was awarded the military occupational specialty (MOS) 36L, was awarded the MOS 74G on 1 June 1995 and was promoted to pay grade E-5.

5.  He reenlisted for 3 years on 10 August 1995 and has again reenlisted for 3 years on 1 May 1998.  He was not given an RRB with either reenlistment.

6.  Army Regulation 601-280 establishes the policies and provision for the Army retention program.  In pertinent part it states that the SRB program is a retention incentive paid to soldiers in certain selected MOSs who reenlist for a minimum of 3 years.  The objective of the SRB program is to increase the number of reenlistments in critical MOSs that do not have adequate retention levels to man the career force.  Three zones have been established under the SRB program.  They are zone A, which applies to soldiers between 21 months and 6 years of active service, zone B for those soldiers between 6 and 10 years, and zone C, which applies to soldiers between 10 and 14 years of active service.  Within each zone a multiplier between of .5 and 6 is established based on the eligible MOS.  The amount of the bonus is determined by multiplying the soldiers monthly basic pay times the period of reenlistment (excluding any service obligation remaining from a previous enlistment/reenlistment) times the SRB zone multiplier, or $20,000, which ever is the lesser amount.  A soldier may be paid an SRB only once within each zone of eligibility.

7.  In the processing of this case an advisory opinion was obtained from the Total Army Personnel Command (PERSCOM).  The PERSCOM stated that the applicant’s MOS was in fact authorized a bonus at the time he reenlisted and, therefore, recommend approval of his request.  A copy of the PERSCOM opinion was provided to the applicant on 26 January 2000 for comment, but he did not reply.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  It is evident that miscommunication resulted in the applicant not being given a bonus for which he was authorized and entitled to receive.

2.  In view of the foregoing, the applicant’s records should be corrected as recommended below.
RECOMMENDATION:

That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by amending the 10 August 1995 reenlistment contract of the individual concerned to show that he was entitled to receive an SRB-1A in MOS 74G.

BOARD VOTE:  

_jh_____  _tdh_____  _cjs_____  GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

________  ________  ________  GRANT FORMAL HEARING

________  ________  ________  DENY APPLICATION

		___June Hajjar_______
		        CHAIRPERSON

INDEX

CASE ID	AR1999032881	
SUFFIX		
RECON	YYYYMMDD	
DATE BOARDED	20000309	
TYPE OF DISCHARGE	(HD, GD, UOTHC, UD, BCD, DD, UNCHAR)	
DATE OF DISCHARGE	YYYYMMDD	
DISCHARGE AUTHORITY	AR . . . . .  	
DISCHARGE REASON		
BOARD DECISION	GRANT	
REVIEW AUTHORITY		
ISSUES         1.	128.05	
2.		
3.		
4.		
5.		
6.