Opinion ID: 185723
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Deviation from sequential appointment

Text: Lozowski argues that by failing to assign Cornejo to theSeneca the Coast Guard violated Article 1-D-9.a of its Personnel Manual, which states: Candidates recommended forappointment are listed by the selection board in order of theirfinal scores on eligibility lists. The eligibility lists establishthe precedence of candidates in each specialty. In response,the Secretary argues that the regulation requires only thatcandidates be promoted in rank order, not that each beappointed to the specific vacancy that opened the door forhis or her promotion, which would not necessarily serve theneeds of the service. Thus the Coast Guard could assignCornejo to Alaska rather than to the Seneca as long as it didnot promote him out of order, that is, after Lozowski. We conclude the DGC reasonably determined that theCoast Guard did not violate any regulation by assigningCornejo to Alaska and not to the Seneca. See DGC Dec. at 5. Article 1-D-9.a of the Personnel Manual and the Declarationsof CWOs Prohaska and Gray all support the Secretary'sposition that the Coast Guard could permissibly assign Cornejo to Alaska as long as he was not promoted after Lozowski,and the declarations support the Secretary's assertion that infact Cornejo was not promoted after Lozowski.