Letters to the board
What is a “Don’t Pick Me” Promotion Board Letter? Why Would You Send One?
If you go to the Navy Active Duty Officer Promotions Page, you’ll find this at the bottom:
Sample “Don’t Pick Me” Letter to the Board
Removing the introductory portion, here is what the meat of this letter says:
- Per reference (a), please do not select me for promotion by the FY-[XX] [ActiveDuty Navy/Navy Reserve] [Grade] [Line/Staff Corps] [Competitive Category] Promotion Selection Board.
That’s it. All it says to the promotion board is, “Don’t pick me.”
Why would or should a physician send a letter requesting NOT to be considered by a promotion board? Here are a few reasons:
- You know that you are resigning/separating, not joining the Reserves, and will not be hanging around long enough to accept the promotion.
- You are an O4 or O5 who is retiring but you know that if selected for promotion you won’t accept it – Why would someone not accept a promotion? Because a promotion to O5 or O6 obligates you for 3 more years if you intend to retire. And the Navy still isn’t letting anyone get out early. If you want to get out as fast as possible with a 20 year retirement, taking a promotion to O6 in year 18 means you must stick around until year 21 at least.
So…if #1 or #2 above are applicable, consider sending a “Don’t Pick Me” letter. Make sure, though, that you are 100% POSITIVE that nothing in your situation will change. Lots of people who think they are going to get out, not join the Reserves, or want to retire right at 20 years later change their mind.
Browser Use When Submitting Letters to Promotion Boards
The message below is from the Selection Board Division at Navy Personnel Command:
For situational awareness, an issue has been identified with electronic letter to the board submission.
Due to a Google Chrome update, some users may experience an error to the enclosures list on the cover page for a letter to the board. The attachments are included but are not shown on the cover page.
To circumvent this issue, users should submit electronic letters to the board using Microsoft Edge in Internet Explorer (IE) compatibility mode.
We have validated that the attachments are coming into the board even though the cover letter states attachments none.
All the Posts About Letters to the Board in One Place
It is time to start writing letters to the O6 promotion board, so here are all the posts about letters to the board in one place…
The question most people ask me is answered in these posts:
Should You Send a Letter to the Promotion Board?
Do You Still Need to Send the Above Zone Letter?
The bottom line is:
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.
Letters to promotion boards have a new due date. You can’t send them the day before the board anymore:
Letters to Promotion Boards Now Due 10 Calendar Days Before the Board
If you know you are getting out of the Navy and really don’t care about getting promoted, you should read this post:
What is a “Don’t Pick Me” Promotion Board Letter? Why Would You Send One?
Have you been on active duty for less than 1 year? Read this:
How to Be Considered for Promotion if You’ve Been on Active Duty for Less Than 1 Year
You now need to use your DoD ID number and not your Social Security number on letters to the board. Read this:
Use DoD ID Number and Not Your SSN on Letters to the Board
You can now submit letters electronically:
MC Chief Letter for O4 or O5 Board Requests – Due 1 March 2024
Packages will be submitted to the Medical Corps Chief’s Office from the CMO/TYCOM/Fleet Surgeon with CO endorsement to the MC Career Planner, CAPT Shauna O’Sullivan, with the Deputy Corps Chief, Captain Terri Allen. CC’ed for awareness. The packages will include:
i. Officer Summary Record (OSR)
ii. Performance Summary Record (PSR)
iii. Last two Fitreps
iv. Draft Letter for Admiral Valdes to sign if the officer is selected
·The Corps Chief’s Office will score and rank packages. The top 3 will be presented to RMDL Valdes for consideration.
·The Corps Chief will notify the command of the selected officer and provide the signed letter by RDML Valdes for records maintenance.
What is a “Don’t Pick Me” Promotion Board Letter? Why Would You Send One?
If you go to the Navy Active Duty Officer Promotions Page, you’ll find this at the bottom:
Sample “Don’t Pick Me” Letter to the Board
Removing the introductory portion, here is what the meat of this letter says:
- Per reference (a), please do not select me for promotion by the FY-[XX] [ActiveDuty Navy/Navy Reserve] [Grade] [Line/Staff Corps] [Competitive Category] Promotion Selection Board.
That’s it. All it says to the promotion board is, “Don’t pick me.”
Why would or should a physician send a letter requesting NOT to be considered by a promotion board? Here are a few reasons:
- You know that you are resigning/separating, not joining the Reserves, and will not be hanging around long enough to accept the promotion.
- You are an O4 or O5 who is retiring but you know that if selected for promotion you won’t accept it – Why would someone not accept a promotion? Because a promotion to O5 or O6 obligates you for 3 more years if you intend to retire. And the Navy still isn’t letting anyone get out early. If you want to get out as fast as possible with a 20 year retirement, taking a promotion to O6 in year 18 means you must stick around until year 21 at least.
So…if #1 or #2 above are applicable, consider sending a “Don’t Pick Me” letter. Make sure, though, that you are 100% POSITIVE that nothing in your situation will change. Lots of people who think they are going to get out, not join the Reserves, or want to retire right at 20 years later change their mind.
And remember, they are now due 10 days before a board convenes (not 24 hours like before).
All the Posts About Letters to the Board in One Place
It is time to start writing letters to the O6 promotion board, so here are all the posts about letters to the board in one place…
The question most people ask me is answered in these posts:
Should You Send a Letter to the Promotion Board?
Do You Still Need to Send the Above Zone Letter?
The bottom line is:
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.
Letters to promotion boards have a new due date. You can’t send them the day before the board anymore:
Letters to Promotion Boards Now Due 10 Calendar Days Before the Board
If you know you are getting out of the Navy and really don’t care about getting promoted, you should read this post:
What is a “Don’t Pick Me” Promotion Board Letter? Why Would You Send One?
Have you been on active duty for less than 1 year? Read this:
How to Be Considered for Promotion if You’ve Been on Active Duty for Less Than 1 Year
You now need to use your DoD ID number and not your Social Security number on letters to the board. Read this:
Use DoD ID Number and Not Your SSN on Letters to the Board
You can now submit letters electronically:
How to Request a Letter to the Promotion Board From the Medical Corps Chief
Packages will be submitted to the Corps Chief’s Office from the CMO/TYCOM/Fleet Surgeon with the officer’s CO endorsement to the MC Career Planner (CAPT Shauna O’Sullivan, contact in the global) with the Deputy Corps Chief (Captain Terri Allen, contact in the global) CC’ed for awareness. The due date for the FY25 O6 Board is 1 DEC 2023.
Joel Schofer's Career Planning Blog 