ARMY BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 13 February 2020 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20190009032 APPLICANT REQUESTS: Entitlement to back payment for Health Professions Officer Incentive Pay (HPOIP) not previously received APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD: * DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record) * Leave and Earnings Statement(s) * Request for Health Professions Officer Incentive Pay * Virginia Department of Health Professions License Look up document * Verification of Graduate Medical Education Letter FACTS: 1. The applicant states that his HPOIP was supposed to begin 3 months following the completion of his internship (October 2017) at a rate of $8,000 annually. The issue has been addressed within his current command. However, they are unable to make any retroactive changes outside of the current fiscal year. He contends that he received the incorrect amount of HPOIP from October 2017 through January 2018, approximately 4 months totaling $1,666.64. In February 2018, $41.67 of incentive pay was deducted from his salary and from March 2018 through September 2018, he did not receive incentive pay at all. He is requesting retroactive entitlement to the $6,375.03 of HPOIP that he is owed. 2. A review of the applicant’s available service records reflects the following on: * 8 November 2012 – he was commissioned in the Army Reserve and completed his Army Service agreement for the Health Professions Scholarship Program * 12 May 2016 (Order# A-05-601486) – he was ordered to active duty with a report date of 6 June 2016 * 30 June 2017 – he completed internship training in Obstetrics and Gynecology * 12 December 2018 – his application for HPOIP was approved in the amount of $8,000 per year 3. The applicant provides the following a: * Leave and Earnings Statement(s) covering the period of October 2017 through January 2018 – reflective of his receipt of HPOIP in the amount of $416.66 per month * Leave and Earnings Statement for February 2018 – reflective of a deduction/debt for HPOIP in the amount of $41.67 * Leave and Earnings Statement(s) covering the period of March 2018 through September 2018 – reflective of his non receipt of HPOIP * Request for Health Professions Officer Incentive Pay dated 12 December 2018 – reflective of his HPOIP approval in the amount of $8,000 annually * Virginia Department of Health Professions License Look up document dated 24 January 2019 – reflective of his medical license expiration date being 29 February 2020 * Verification of Graduate Medical Education Letter dated 6 November 2019 – reflective of his successful completion of internship training in Obstetrics and Gynecology on 30 June 2017 4. See applicable guidance under REFERENCES below. BOARD DISCUSSION: After reviewing the application and all supporting documents, the Board found the relief is warranted. Subject to review and approval by the Office of the Surgeon General, the applicant’s records should be corrected to show his entitlement to Health Professional Officers Incentive Pay (HPOIP) effective October 2017 and that he be fully paid the incentive pay to date. BOARD VOTE: Mbr 1 Mbr 2 Mbr 3 : : : GRANT FULL RELIEF : : : GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF : : : GRANT FORMAL HEARING : : : DENY APPLICATION BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The Board determined that the evidence presented was 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 his entitlement to Health Professional Officers Incentive Pay (HPOIP) effective October 2017 and that he be fully paid the incentive pay to date, subject to approval by Office of the Surgeon General: 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. REFERENCES: 1. Department of Defense (DOD) Finance Management Volume 7 Chapter 5 (Health Professions Officer (HPO) Special and Incentive Pay (IP)) states that the effective date of the IP agreement will be calculated from the date the member completes the qualifying training plus 3 months. To be eligible for IP, an HPO must be: * serving in an Active Component or Reserve Component of the Army and entitled to basic pay * serving on active duty or in an active Reserve status in a designated health professional specialty 2. The Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs, Memorandum, Subject: HPO IP, dated 29 September 2017 provides that Medical Corps Officers within their initial residency are entitled to IP of $8,000.00 prorated monthly 3. Title 37 U.S.C. 335 (Special Bonus Incentive Pay) states that the the Secretary of the Army may pay a health professions bonus under this section to an officer in the uniformed services, who is a graduate of an accredited school in a health profession and who accepts a commission or appointment as an officer in a regular or reserve component of a uniformed service, or affiliates with a reserve component of a uniformed service, and agrees to serve on active duty in a regular component or in an active status in a reserve component in a health profession; accepts a commission or appointment as an officer and whose health profession specialty is designated by the Secretary of Defense as a critically short wartime specialty; or agrees to remain on active duty or continue serving in an active status in a reserve component in a health profession. The Secretary of the Army may pay Health Professions Incentive Pay to an officer in a regular or reserve component of a uniformed service who is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of this title or compensation under section 206 of this title and is serving on active duty or in an active status in a designated health profession specialty or skill. Health Professions bonus paid may not exceed $100,000 for each 12-month period of obligated service. NOTHING FOLLOWS ABCMR Record of Proceedings (cont) AR20190009032 4 1