BOARD DATE: 28 September 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20170005564 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: 28 September 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20170005564 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 is authorized payment of Board Certification Pay for the period 1 January 2016 through 30 September 2016, utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance Medical Special Pay Date of 19 May 2001 for the correct pay rate. ___________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: 28 September 2017 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20170005564 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, in effect, retroactive payment of Board Certification Pay (BCP) for the period 1 January 2016 through 30 September 2016. 2. The applicant states: a. He stopped receiving BCP roughly in January 2016, presumably because his original board certification had expired and his recertification had not been updated through the appropriate channels. He did recertify (1st attempt) with no lapse in certification. He even updated his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), thinking that would be adequate and not knowing there is a separate channel of notification for pay purposes. b. He acknowledges that this could have been an oversight or just a missed message on his end, though he never did see it. He would have obviously addressed any issue with such substantial financial consequence if he had noticed any request for his certificate. He is appealing to the good nature of the Board requesting the back pay and re-initiation of BCP. It would be really rough on his family for a small clerical error to have such a huge (more than $6,000) cost. 3. The applicant provides: * American Board of Emergency Medicine Certification * American Board of Emergency Medicine Certification Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Certificate * three DA Forms 2142 (Pay Inquiry) * two Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) CONSIDERATION OF EVIDENCE: 1. The applicant is currently serving on active duty in the rank of lieutenant colonel. He is assigned as a physician at Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. 2. The applicant was initially certified as an emergency physician, on or about 29 November 2005, by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. 3. During 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). It states: a. Requests for legacy BCP for physicians, which is considered under the entitlement category of Title 37, U.S. Code, section 302.(a)(5), are initiated by the officer through their command's supporting Human Resource, Personnel, or S1 office. If board certification renewals or MOC are issued, officer must also submit renewal documentation to ensure BCP continues uninterrupted. Receipt of monthly BCP can be verified by the officer by reviewing their monthly LES entitlements column. Immediate action should be taken if payments are not visible or stop abruptly. b. A review of supporting documentation and available special pay and finance data indicates the applicant's BCP stopped on 31 December 2015. This office authorized BCP payments commencing on 1 October 2016. The verified missing period of BCP is from 1 January 2016 to 30 September 2016. c. Officer was eligible to receive BCP for the missing 9-month period of 1 January 2016 to 30 September 2016, totaling approximately $3,750 prior to any withholding. The exact payment would be determined by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service utilizing a Health Professions Pay Entry Date or finance Medical Special Pay Date of 19 May 2001 for the correct pay rates. 4. The advisory opinion was forwarded to the applicant to allow him the opportunity to provide additional comments. He did not respond. REFERENCES: Title 37, U.S. Code, sections 301d, 302, 302f, and 303a, provide 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 includes 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: The OTSG database confirms the applicant met the requirements and was eligible to receive BCP for the period 1 January 2016 to 30 September 2016. The OTSG official opined the applicant met the criteria and recommended he receive BCP for the requested period. //NOTHING FOLLOWS// ABCMR Record of Proceedings AR20150000953 Enclosure 1 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20170005564 2 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 1 ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20170005564 3 ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Enclosure 2