Nov. 4, 2021 —
Regular to Reserve (R2R) Service Validation
Background
The Coast Guard inadvertently misinterpreted a 2010 Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) ruling for a member who transitioned from an active component to a reserve component in which the Pay and Personnel Center (PPC) was authorized to close the break in service of a member who transitioned into the Coast Guard Reserve. PPC subsequently misapplied this ruling to all officers who transitioned from regular to reserve (R2R) status from 2010-2017 and aligned their anniversary years with their pay entry base dates (PEBD). This was incorrectly processed because the signed oath of office did not take effect until a later date which should have resulted in a legitimate break in service. This error was discovered during pre-board record reviews when service dates, anniversary dates, and personnel records did not align with each other.
The Coast Guard has an obligation to the Service and to each member to ensure they have a correct record which will impact all pay and entitlements throughout one’s career and into retirement. Rectifying this error now will allow enough time to make appropriate adjustments to service records and service dates, and to correct retirement dates.
Process
PPC has reviewed all R2R officers’ records from 2010-2017 and created an abbreviated statement of creditable service (SOCS) covering that timeframe. The abbreviated SOCS will be sent to PPC-Military Accounts Support (MAS) for any necessary manual pay adjustments which may result in an overpayment due to PEBD corrections. If a debt is generated, the member will be notified in accordance with the Personnel Pay & Procedures Manual (3PM) PPCINST M1000.2 (series). In the case of any debt over $1000, a notification will be sent to the member’s commanding officer and to the member. Any debt $1000 and below will be reflected within the member’s pay slip. The member and the member’s servicing personnel office (SPO) will be notified individually of the amount owed. Upon notification of a debt collection, members requesting a waiver of the debt will need to submit a waiver application in accordance with the instructions listed in the waiver application guide and 3PM. The member’s local personnel and admin (P&A) office and/or SPO will be able to assist in filling out the waiver application form.
How will this impact me?
The ramifications of this error could include:
- Overpayments from an incorrect PEBD resulting in debt collection
- Incorrect anniversary date based on incorrect reserve points statements
- Incorrect reserve points calculations affecting retirement eligibility date
- Incorrect placement on the IDPL register of officers
What options do I have?
Points or Total Qualifying Service (TQS) Issue:
PPC and PSC-RPM have been in communication with CG-R55 and CG-133 since becoming aware of the situation. Unfortunately, there is no law or policy authorized to readjust or “shift” lost points from one anniversary year to another. If you have any source documentation (oath of office, LES/pay slip, drill forms, etc.) that displays you were in an active duty or reserve status during the time period(s) in question, please provide them to the PPC Advancements Branch (ADV) at ppc-dg-customercare@uscg.mil so your record can be updated. If any drills were performed prior to signing an oath of office, those drills and respective points will be honored.
Debt Issue:
CG-133 is the approval authority for waiver applications. If requesting a waiver of an incurred debt, complete a CG-5489/2, waiver application, and route it through your chain of command. CG-133 will review each application thoroughly and make an appropriate decision. Your local P&A office and/or SPO will be able to assist in completing this form.