Author: Joel Schofer, MD, MBA, CPE
My E-Mail to the Promotion Board – Private or Not? Which is it?
Today I e-mailed a letter for my upcoming O6 promotion board. To find the instructions on how to e-mail the board, I went to this page, which happens to be the PERS page on officer promotion boards. I noted the following:
To ensure more efficient processing and for internal tracking purposes, a recommended subject line of your email is “FOUO-Privacy Sensitive Board Package: Active-Duty [Rank][Line/Staff] Board, FY-YYXXX” (where YY represents the last two digits of the fiscal year of the selection board and the XXX represents the actual 3-digit board number and you insert the appropriate parenthetical information).
I added the bold over “Privacy Sensitive” above.
Like a good Sailor, I followed instructions…only to receive an e-mail reply (as confirmation that they received my letter) that said this:
*****PLEASE READ IMPORTANT BOARD INFO BELOW***** *****SENSITIVITY OF YOUR EMAIL MUST BE NORMAL DO NOT MARK PRIVATE*******
Further down:
1. DO NOT send any email marked as PRIVATE. We are UNABLE to view those emails you will need to RESEND your email submission…
Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out. I guess I’ll be resending that e-mail tomorrow.
Retirement and Separation/Resignation Requests Now Requested in NSIPS
I announced this change back in November, but it has officially gone live. Anyone with access to NSIPS is required to use it for retirement and resignation requests effective 1 January, 2018.
The new system allows members to initiate retirement and separation requests electronically via NSIPS self service, route them through their chain of command for review and recommendation, and then electronically route the request to Navy Personnel Command (NPC) for a decision. This improvement provides transparency for service members as to the status of their request, provides an integrated waiver process when needed, and provides an electronic notification of the final disposition of the request for both the member and the command.
Also of note, statutory retirement notifications are now being generated through NSIPS to eliminate printing and distributing business letters via the postal service. A statutory retirement occurs when a LCDR hits 20 years of commissioned service (not counting enlisted time), a CDR 28 years, and a CAPT 30 years.
How I Write My Fitrep
O5 fitreps are due soon, so it is time for me to write my fitrep. How do I do it? Here are the steps I go through:
- I get the Surgeon General’s priorities and the convening order for last year’s O6 board. (If you were an O4, you’d want the O5 convening order. If you are an O3, you’d want the O4 convening order.)
- I read through them, highlighting the important language (similar to what I did in this very popular post). I do this because I use this exact language to take my accomplishments and frame them in the setting of strategic Navy initiatives. This allows me to demonstrate Navy-wide impact, which is the goal when you are trying to prove to people that you deserve to promote.
- I take my CV, which is the document I use to track my accomplishments, and I edit it so that it only includes what I did during the time period covered by the fitrep. Here’s what was left, which is what I use to build my blocks 29 and 41.
- I print out a copy of my last fitrep.
- I download the Word template you use when drafting a block 41. This template eliminates some of the spacing issues you run into when printing your fitrep only to find that the last line of your block 41 narrative isn’t there anymore.
- I boot up NAVFIT98A and I start writing the fitrep, as outlined in Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep.
- Once I have a draft ready, I put it aside for 24 hours and/or have someone else who I trust read over it. Having a mentor or two take a look is always a good idea.
- I read it one more time, ensuring that I spell checked it.
- I submit it up the chain of command.
That’s it!
Do You Still Need to Send the Above Zone Letter?
The standard advice has always gone something like this:
“If you are above zone, you need to send a letter to the promotion board so that they know you are still trying to promote. Otherwise they won’t pick you.”
Now that they no longer stamp officer records with “AZ” (above zone) and they look exactly the same as those records that are in zone, do you still need to write a letter to the board? Has the standard advice changed?
Reasons to Send a Letter to a Promotion Board
I addressed this in a post from a few years ago entitled “Should You Send a Letter to the Promotion Board?” I still agree with just about everything in that post, except for this:
“…you should always send a letter to demonstrate interest in getting promoted when you are above zone.”
In my opinion, you no longer need to send a letter just because you are above zone. If you have another reason to send a letter, then please do. If you are just sending one because you think you have to, I think that is no longer necessary.
The FY18 O6 board convening order states on page 2:
“…in determining which officers are best and fully qualified for promotion, you are required to equally consider both above-zone and in-zone officers.”
What if You’re Not Sure?
As you might imagine, I get asked a lot whether someone should send a letter to the promotion board. This is my standard response…
Pretend that you did not send a letter to the board, the board is over, and you were not selected for promotion. Are you going to be kicking yourself for not sending the letter? If the answer is yes or maybe, then send the letter. As long as you keep it short and sweet, there is no real downside.
Frankly, I think that when officers send letters to promotion boards they are often just making themselves feel better, and there is nothing wrong with that. You want to make sure that when the promotion board results come out, no matter what happened, you feel like you did everything you could to get promoted.
The Bottom Line
If you are above zone and want to send the letter just so there is no regret, feel free, but it is definitely not required to be considered for promotion.
New Addition to the Promo Prep – Check Your Security Clearance
During the last Specialty Leader Business Meeting, the Detailing Update mentioned that there were about 10 cases of officers who lost their promotion due to a security clearance issue. As a result, I added a new section to the Promo Prep document. In it you can find out how to check your security clearance. Here’s what I added:
Step 8 – Check Your Security Clearance
If your security clearance is expired, you won’t promote. To check on its status, go to blocks 92 and 93 of your Officer Data Card (ODC). Here is what mine says:
Block 92 – VV1015
Block 93 – 1115
What does this mean? The letters and dates in order are the level of clearance you are eligible for, the level of clearance you have, the date your investigation was initiated (MMYY format), and in block 93 the date your clearance was granted (MMYY format).
My first “V” means I am eligible for a “Top Secret – SCI Eligible” clearance. The second “V” means I actually have one. Here is a list of the various codes you might see:
The second date in block 93, “1115” in my case, is the important one. A Top Secret clearance is good for 6 years, so I should be good until NOV 2021. A Secret clearance, which is what most of you will have, is good for 10 years.
If your security clearance will expire within the next year or you have any questions about this, you should go to your security manager to renew it. Don’t let a promotion slip by because you had an expired clearance. It happens more than you would think.
BUMED Inspector General Medical Corps Officer – O5/O6
The Medical Corps position on the Inspector General team is available. The position description is here.
Rank Requirement: 05/06
Desired Report Date: ASAP
Those officers interested should submit packages (CV/BIO/contact info/Detailer concurrence) to CAPT Christopher Quarles (contact info in the global address book) no later than close of business 18 Jan 2018.
How to Be Considered for Promotion if You’ve Been on Active Duty for Less Than 1 Year
The FY19 promotion board NAVADMIN was recently released. If you are in-zone or above-zone for an upcoming promotion board but you’ve been on active duty for less than 1 year, you should read #5 from the NAVADMIN, which says:
5. In-zone and above-zone eligible officers in the grades of lieutenant, lieutenant commander, and commander, whose placement on the Active-Duty List is within one year of the convening dates of these boards, are automatically deferred unless they specifically request to be considered. The officer may waive this deferment and request consideration for promotion in a signed written letter, emailed to: NPC_Officer_SELBD_Elig_Waivers.fct (at) navy.mil or mailed to:
Commander, Navy Personnel Command (PERS-802)
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-0000
The request must be received by PERS-80 not later than 30 days prior to the convening date of the board.
What does this mean and why would it apply to you? Maybe you had prior service, you went to medical school, and now you’re a senior LT who is in-zone for LCDR right away. Maybe you did a civilian NADDS residency and you are in-zone right away for LCDR. There might be other situations that would put you in this position, like getting time-in-grade credit for a PhD.
If you believe you are in this position, here is what I’d do:
- Confirm you are in-zone or above-zone. How can you do this? The easiest way is to either read the Promo Prep or get the FY19 lineal list. Or you can use this document from PERS.
- If you wish to be considered for promotion to LCDR, CDR, or CAPT, so what it says above. Send the letter simply requesting this. You can find templates or letters to the board here or here. It can probably be a very short letter. There is no need to be verbose.
- Finally, contact PERS-802: Selection Board Eligibility Branch because I know people who did only #2 (sent a letter) and were not considered. Here’s what their website says:
If you have questions concerning promotion boards, eligibility for promotion boards, please contact the MyNavy Career Center at (833) 330-MNCC or askmncc@navy.mil.
PERS-802, Branch Head, (901) 874-4537
Officer Active and Reserve Eligibility Section
Section Supervisor (901) 874-3324
Also, here is a great article on this topic from the August 2018 Medical Corps Newsletter:
FY18 Senior Executive Medicine Slate
The FY18 Senior Executive Medicine Slate has been released. To see it, go to this website (but make sure you select your e-mail certificate when logging on):
https://es.med.navy.mil/bumed/m00/m00c/pages/executive-medicine.aspx
Are We Getting New FITREPs in 2018?
I’ve been hearing about new FITREPs for at least a year now, but very few hard details or timelines are available. Here is a Navy Times article about it:
New in 2018: All new evals and fitreps
The most telling sentence is, “Officials are still hammering out details, but the Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke told Navy Times that he wants a transition in place soon.”
2017 on MCCareer.org – A Review
Thanks to all of you who have made 2017 a successful year for MCCareer.org. Here is a recap of 2017:
- Total Website Views – 86,019 (up from 43,673 in 2016 and 10,870 in 2015)
- Total Visitors – 32,541 (up from 18,373 in 2016 and 3,705 in 2015)
- Posts Published – 185 (up from 133 in 2016 and 69 in 2015)
- Joel Schofer’s Promo Prep – 3,091 views (up from 2,100 views in 2016)
- Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep – 1,793 views (new in 2017)
- Total Income – Negative $99 (the cost of the site for the year, same as last year)
- Total Hours Spent On It – Hundreds! (same as last year)
Here are the top 10 posts/pages that weren’t the announcement of a promotion list (which are always very popular):
- Joel Schofer’s Promo Prep
- Useful Documents
- Joel Schofer’s Fitrep Prep
- LCDR Fitreps – Language for Writing Your Block 41
- Useful Links
- Personal Finance
- Consolidated Special Pays
- About Me (who knew I was so popular and interesting?)
- Career Consult & Record Review
- What are AQDs and How Do You Get Them?
Thanks for your support!
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