IN THE CASE OF: BOARD DATE: 13 February 2023 DOCKET NUMBER: AR20220005029 APPLICANT REQUESTS: to receive his accession bonus backpay as a result of medical provider credentialing. APPLICANT'S SUPPORTING DOCUMENT(S) CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD: •electronic DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record) •Army National Guard (ARNG), Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) Army MedicalDepartment (AMEDD) Selected Reserve Incentive Program (SRIP) Policy,1 October 2018 •Accession Bonus Payment Timeline, covering period 2019 to 2026 •National Guard Bureau (NGB) Form 337 (Oaths of Office), 1 January 2019 •DA Form 71 (Oath of Office Military Personnel), 1 January 2019 •ARNG, AMEDD SRIP Policy Number 20-01, 1 November 2019 •Selected Reserve Special Pay Accession Bonus (AB) Program Agreement,5 June 2020 •Self-authored statement, 8 July 2021 •Self-authored statement, 30 March 2022 FACTS: 1.The applicant states that he has not received his first payment installation as amedical provider in the National Guard and should receive backpay as a result ofcredentialing. The request would cover all pay and allowances due for a medicalprovider bonus from 1 January 2019 to May 2020 consistent with his membership in theNational Guard. 2.The applicant's service record shows: a.Harbor Hospital Center certificates, period covering 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2003,certified that the applicant served as a Resident in Medicine. b.The American Board of Internal Medicine certificate, period covering 2003 to2013, certified that the applicant met the requirements of the Internal Medicine Board. c.DA Form 5074, dated 19 December 2007, showing the applicant was appointedin the Medical Corps in Specialty 61F9B (Internist). He was awarded 9 years and 20 days constructive credit for entry in the rank/grade of captain (CPT)/O-3. d.Orders Number A-05-808875 issued by the U.S. Army Human ResourcesCommand (HRC), dated 12 May 2008, ordered the applicant to active duty from 6 June 2008 to 5 June 2011 fulfill his active duty requirement. e.National Capital Consortium Certificate, period covering 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2015, certified that the applicant completed his Fellowship Training in Internal Medicine Gastroenterology. f.American Board of Internal Medicine Letter, dated 13 January 2016, notified theapplicant that he passed his 2015 Gastroenterology Certification examination. g.DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), ending on31 December 2018, shows the applicant was honorably released from active duty. Block 11 (Primary Specialty) – 60G (3 years and 0 months) and 61F (10 years and 3 months). h.DA Form 71 (Oath of Office – Military Personnel), dated 1 January 2019,commissioned the applicant as a Reserve officer in the rank/grade of lieutenant colonel (LTC)/O-5. i.Orders Number 053-514 issued by Headquarters, Military Department, State ofWashington, Office of the Adjutant General, dated 22 February 2019, appointed the applicant as Field Surgeon in the ARNG, effective 1 January 2019. j.Orders Number C-06-907513 issued by HRC, dated 6 June 2019, reassigned theapplicant to the Standby Reserves (Inactive List), effective 6 June 2019, since he did not make a Military Service Obligation (MSO) election. The additional instructions stated that he would be discharged or transferred to the Retired Reserves 1 year from the effective date; unless he provided an MSO election form requesting to remain in the Individual Ready Reserve. k.Special Orders Number 351 issued by the National Guard Bureau (NGB), dated27 November 2019, transferred the applicant from the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) and extended Federal Recognition in the ARNG, effective 1 January 2019. l.Selected Reserve Special Pay Accession Bonus (AB) Program Agreement, dated5 June 2020, shows the applicant qualified for the Selected Reserve Special Pay Accession Bonus in the amount of $25,000.00 per year. He incurred a Selected Reserve obligation of 4 years in the Specialty 60G (Gastroenterologist). m.Orders Number D-06-012692 issued by HRC, dated 9 June 2020, dischargedthe applicant from the USAR, effective 9 June 2020, since he failed to make an MSO election. n.The American Board of Internal Medicine, undated, certified that the applicantmet the requirements for a diplomate in Gastroenterology. 3.The applicant provides: a.ARNG, FY19 AMEDD SRIP Policy, dated 1 October 2018, which providedguidance and policy for the Selected Reserve AMEDD Incentive Programs. The applicant highlighted; Enclosure 2 (Procedures), Paragraph 3 (General Eligibility Requirements) for authorized incentive amounts and requirements to be credentialed in the Centralized Credentials and Quality Assurance System (CCQAS) as a requirement for accession and retention bonuses. b.Accession Bonus Payment Timeline, covering period 2019 to 2026, which showsthe applicant received the following payments: (1)2019 Contract with an Obligation End Date of 4 June 2023: •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2019 •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2020 •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2021 •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2022 (2)2020 Contract with an Obligation End Date of 4 June 2024: •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2020 •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2021 •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2022 •$25,000.00 on 5 June 2023 c.NGB Form 337, dated 1 January 2019, granted the applicant temporary FederalRecognition. d.ARNG, AMEDD SRIP Policy Number 20-01, dated 1 November 2019, updatedguidance and policy for the Selected Reserve AMEDD Incentive Programs. Enclosure 2 (Procedures), Paragraph 3 (General Eligibility Requirements) states to be eligible for payment, incentive recipients should be credentialed and qualified in the CCQAS through National Guard Bureau, with the exception of stipend participants and Aeromedical Evacuation Pilots. CCQAS is required for the Accession and Retention Bonus. Those who are non-compliant with the Credentials Certification and Privileging Preparation Board may have their incentive placed on hold until compliance is met. Credentialing memo must have National Guard Bureau letterhead. Civilian credentialing and privileging does not meet this requirement. (2) Enclosure 2 (Procedures), Paragraph 6 (Special Pay Accession Bonus) states the Accession Bonus is a bonus offered to a newly commissioned HPO. The Accession Bonus is a 2, 3, and 4-year contract within the Army National Guard. The HPO cannot sign a contract prior to their oath date or their contract will be invalidated. The Accession Bonus is only authorized one time unless the HPO transfers from the Active Component into the Army National Guard. Participants must have a current, valid, unrestricted license or approved waiver. Within the first year of signing the contract, the HPO must be credentialed in CCQAS. Future anniversary payments will be placed on hold until the HPO has met the credentialing requirements. The HPO must remain credentialed throughout the lifespan of their contract. The Accession Bonus contract start date will be the date the contract is signed by the HPO. A HPO can extend a current contract only for a longer period of time (years) at the same yearly dollar rate of the current contract. The contract can only be extended one time during the life of the contract with a total of 4 years. The HPO will be required to sign a memo stating they wish to extend their contract by “X” years and the new obligation end date will be “X”. The HPO cannot elect to opt into a higher dollar amount. e. Self-authored statement dated 8 July 2021, in which the applicant requestedreconsideration of his backpay as a result of medical provider credentialing. As of the date of his request, he had not received his first professional pay installment. His medical provider bonus for $20,000.00 covered period 1 January 2019 to May 2020. (1) On or about 1 January 2019, he transitioned from active duty to the Washington Army National Guard. He performed his first Inactive Duty Training weekend in March 2019. During his first drill, he submitted paperwork to Sergeant (SGT) , Medical Credentialing Specialist, and Lieutenant Colonel for credentialing only. (2) When he inquired about his bonus, he was informed by SGT that he had to get credentialed before signing a multiyear annual contract for 3 years. In May 2020, his credentials were approved and he received one bonus payment. He was informed by the new Medical Credentialing Specialist, SGT , that he would only receive bonus pay from the date that he signed his contract; not when he was assigned to his unit. He met all requirements for his grade and field; however, through no fault of his own, he was denied payment. f. Self-authored statement dated 30 March 2022, in which the applicant againrequested reconsideration of his backpay as prescribed by Medical Provider Special Pay policy; formally entitled the SRIP policy, dated 1 October 2018. He states that he was unfairly denied credentialing for 18 months. (1)He signed NGB Form 337 on 1 January 2019. The process of credentialingwas delayed until 3 May 2020. He received his approved credentialing contract on 5 June 2020 and have been receiving the correct amount of bonus pay; which is $25,000.00 per year. (2)He has not received all compensation for the period covering 1 January 2019to 5 June 2020; however, he did receive two payments of $25,000.00: •The first payment was received on 5 June 2020 for period covering 5 June2020 to 4 June 2021 •The second payment was received in June 2021 for period covering5 June 2021 to 4 June 2022 4.In the processing of this case, an advisory opinion was obtained from the NGB,Chief, Special Actions Branch, on 4 November 2022. The advisory official denied theapplicant's request. It states in pertinent part: a.The applicant is a medical provider in the Washington Army National Guard and ittook 16 months for him to be credentialed and receive his Select Reserve Special Pay Accession Bonus. Based on his packet submission, he transitioned from active duty and commissioned into the Washington Army National Guard on 1 January 2019. He performed his first drill weekend in March 2019, but did not sign his Select Reserve Special Pay Accession Bonus Program agreement until 5 June 2020 since he was not credentialed until May 2020. The contract entitled him to $25,000.00 per year for 4 years with an Obligation End Date of 4 June 2024. Since signing his contract, he has received 3 payments of his $25,000.00 entitlement. b.The ARNG AMEDD Incentive Program Subject Matter Expert stated that theaverage time for credentialing a provider is about 90 days, or 3 drill periods. The credentialing timeline provided by the credentialing agency shows that the agency did not receive the applicant’s credentialing request from the State Credentials Coordinator until 16 September 2019 and his electronic application was not initiated in the system until 19 December 2019. After this initiation, the credentialing agency had to request more documentation from the applicant on three separate occasions and his files were not presented to the board until May 2020. c.According to the ARNG AMEDD SRIP Policy 20-01, to be eligible for payment,incentive recipients should be credentialed and qualified in the CCQAS through the NGB, and those who are non-compliant with the Credentials Certification and Privileging Preparation Board may have their incentive placed on hold until compliance is met. The HPO must be credentialed in CCQAS within the first year of signing the contract, and any future anniversary payments will be placed on hold until the HPO has met the credentialing requirements. d.Based on the guidelines of the applicant’s contract and the regulation, he is notentitled to a backpay of his Selected Reserve Special Pay Accession bonus. While his credentialing process did take significantly longer than the average time and was delayed by all parties involved, the delay of his credentialing did not affect his contract agreement of 4 years with $25,000.00 entitlement per year. The applicant has already received 3 payments of his entitlement, and back pay for the 16 months during credentialing would effectively give him an extra year of payment. e.This Advisory Opinion was coordinated with the Washington Army NationalGuard. 6.The advisory opinion was provided to the applicant to afford him the opportunity torespond to its content. On 8 January 2023, he requested that a copy of the advisoryopinion be sent to his civilian email account. BOARD DISCUSSION: After reviewing the application, all supporting documents, and the evidence found within the military record, the Board determined that relief was not warranted. The Board carefully considered the applicant’s contentions, the military record, and regulatory guidance. Documentation available for review to include the applicant’s contract guidelines and applicable regulation, do not support his request for backpay. The Board agreed that even though the credentialing process exceeded the average time, it did not affect the terms and conditions of the contract. Further, the Board noted that the applicant has received several payments of the entitlement and back pay as applicable. Based on the documentation available for review, the Board determined the evidence presented insufficient to warrant a recommendation for relief. BOARD VOTE: Mbr 1 Mbr 2 Mbr 3 : : : GRANT FULL RELIEF : : : GRANT PARTIAL RELIEF : : : GRANT FORMAL HEARING :X :X :X DENY APPLICATION BOARD DETERMINATION/RECOMMENDATION: The Board determined the evidence presented does not demonstrate the existence of a probable error or injustice. Therefore, the Board determined the overall merits of this case are insufficient as a basis for correction of the records of the individual concerned. Microsoft Office Signature Line... 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. ADMINISTRATIVE NOTE(S): N/A. REFERENCES: 1.Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A, Chapter 5, ineffect at the time, established policy pertaining to Health Professions Special andIncentive Pay. a.Paragraph 2.4 (Eligibility) states to be eligible to participate in the ConsolidatedSpecial Pays, a Health Professions Officer must: •Not have reached the mandatory retirement or removal date due to age oryears of service and will complete any additional service obligation incurredbefore the individual’s mandatory retirement or removal date, unless granteda waiver •Have a current, valid, and unrestricted license or approved waiver •Maintain all licensing, credentialing, and specialty qualifications •Meet privileging requirements •Sign a service agreement indicating: •The amount of bonus or pay •The method of payment of the bonus or pay •The period of obligated service for the bonus or pay •Whether the service will be performed on active duty or in active statusin a Reserve Component •The type or conditions of the service •The circumstances that may result in termination of the agreement andrepayment of any unearned portion of the bonus or pay if the officerfails to fulfill the conditions of the bonus or pay, to include an unfulfilledservice obligation or eligibility requirement b.Table 5-10 (Medical Reserve Component Accession Bonus and RetentionBonus) shows: MEDICAL CORPS AB (Note) RB (Note) *Aerospace Medicine $30,000 $30,000 *Anesthesiology $40,000 $40,000 *Critical CarePulmonary Disease $50,000 $50,000 *Emergency Medicine $40,000 $40,000 Family Medicine/ Family Practice $25,000 $25,000 Field Surgeon $25,000 $25,000 *Flight Surgeon;Aviation/Aerospace GMO;Aviation/Aerospace;Residence Trained $30,000 $30,000 *Gastroenterology $25,000 $25,000 Infectious Disease $25,000 $25,000 Internist $25,000 $25,000 *Nephrology $25,000 $25,000 *Neurologist $25,000 $25,000 OB-GYN $25,000 $25,000 Ophthalmology $25,000 $25,000 Otolaryngologist $25,000 $25,000 Pediatrician $25,000 $25,000 Preventive Medicine $25,000 $25,000 Psychiatrist $25,000 $25,000 *Radiologist, Diagnostic $45,000 $45,000 *Radiologist, SpecialProcedures $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon Colon Rectal $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon Critical CareTrauma $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon, General $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon, Neurological $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon Orthopedic $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon Plastic $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon, ThoracicCardiovascular $50,000 $50,000 *Surgeon Vascular Peripheral $50,000 $50,000 Undersea Medicine $25,000 $25,000 *Urologist $45,000 $45,000 2.ARNG AMEDD SRIP Policy Number 20-01, dated 1 November 2019 states inenclosure 2 to qualify for payment of an accession bonus a member should becredentialed and qualified in the Centralized Credentials and Quality Assurance System(CCQAS) through National Guard Bureau, with the exception of stipend participants andAeromedical Evacuation Pilots. CCQAS is required for the Accession and RetentionBonus. Those who are non-compliant with the Credentials Certification and PrivilegingPreparation Board (C2P2) may have their incentive placed on hold until compliance ismet. Credentialing memo must have National Guard Bureau letterhead. Civiliancredentialing and privileging does not meet this requirement. //NOTHING FOLLOWS//