Source: https://www.ucmjlawyer.net/evaluation-report-appeals.html
Timestamp: 2019-11-12 07:12:41
Document Index: 518376842

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1552', '§ 1552', '§ 706', '§ 1552', '§ 706', '§ 706']

Evaluation Report Appeals - Military Court-Martial Lawyers
Army Evaluation Reports, Navy and Marine Corps Fitness Reports, and Air Force Performance Evaluation Reports
​Each of the branches has very different evaluation report appeals procedures. Those are discussed in more detail below. It's important to work with an attorney with knowledge of the process. The statute of limitations, however, for appeals is three years. That three year requirement is found in 10 U.S.C. § 1552. The statute of limitations to sue in federal court can be different. You will want to consult with a lawyer to determine whether there are statute of limitations.
-Army Regulation 623-3 (Chapter 4 - Evaluation Report Redress System) (Sample 3rd Party Support Letter) (Sample Letter Requesting 3rd Party Support)
-Air Force Instruction 36-2406 (Chapter 10 - Air Force Eval Appeals) AF IMT 948
​-Marine Corps Order 1610.7A (Chapter 10 - Substantive FITREP Corrections)
-Navy Performance Evaluation System BUPERSINST 1610.10D (Chapter 17 - Eval Appeals)
-Coast Guard COMDINST M1000.3A - Officer Evals (Chapter 5 for Officers) (Chapter 5 for Enlisted) (Correction of Records Instruction)
-DD149
-10 U.S.C. § 1552
-5 U.S.C. § 706
-Human Resources, Personnel Command, Performance Evaluation Review Board, Air Force Evaluation Reports Appeal Board, etc.
-A potential Board of Inquiry or Administrative Separation Board
10 U.S.C. § 1552 - Correction of Military Records
5 U.S.C. § 706 - Administrative Procedure Act
​Decisions of the military review boards are subject to review under the Administrative Procedure Act., Frizelle v. Slater, 111 F.3d 172, 176 (D.C.Cir.1997). The APA requires a reviewing court to "hold unlawful and set aside agency action, findings, and conclusions found to be ... arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law." 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A). The APA also uses a presumption of regularity. In other words, the courts presume that an administrative action is correct. The burden is on the rated service member to demonstrate error by clear and convincing evidence. Albino v. United States, 78 F. Supp. 3d 148 (DC District Court 2015).
The Court's task is "to identify whether `the decision making process was deficient, not whether [the] decision was correct,'" Dickson, 68 F.3d at 1405 (quoting Kreis v. Sec'y of the Air Force, 866 F.2d 1508, 1511 (D.C.Cir.1989)), the Court cannot sustain an unexplained agency decision "on the basis of ... theories that the agency might have adopted and findings that (perhaps) it might have made." Envtl. Def. Fund, Inc. v. EPA, 898 F.2d 183, 189 (D.C.Cir.1990); see also Wisc.'s Envtl. Decade, Inc. v. SEC, 882 F.2d 523, 528 (D.C.Cir.1989) (stating that reviewing courts cannot "accept the rationalizations first advanced by counsel in ... litigation [or] entertain[] arguments not relied upon by the agency itself" (citing SEC v. Chenery Corp.,318 U.S. 80, 63 S. Ct. 454, 87 L. Ed. 626 (1943))).
Under AR 623-3, 1-8 (c) (1)(a), evaluation report must be “thoughtful and fair appraisals based on observed performance and potential. Each report must be “accurate and complete.” ​
b. For noncommissioned officers appealing DA Form 2166–9 series (NCOER) and DA Form 1059.
(1) First in priority are appeals pertaining to NCOs who have been--
-Was contrary to law; and,
-Whether the board had before it all material information.
​The bottom line is that a consultation does not cost anything, but the consequences of an adverse evaluation report can be expensive over the long term when retirement and promotion issues are factored into the analysis. Feel free to give us a call, we are happy to discuss issues related to adverse evaluation reports and collateral consequences.