Army Grade Determination Review Board

Advancement on the Retired List

Application Procedures

Who May Apply

Enlisted (E-1 through E-9) and warrant officer (W-1 through W-5) retirees with less than thirty years of active service; and previously held a higher grade. This applies members of the Regular Army, and reserve members of the Army who were serving on active duty at the time of retirement. In the case of members of the National Guard, full-time National Guard duty is considered active duty. Those who retired as a commissioned officer (other than a warrant officer) are not eligible.

In order to be advanced on the retired list to the highest grade held satisfactorily, you had to have actually held that higher grade. Simply stated, you must have been promoted to and paid in that rank and grade, and you must have served at that grade for the required statutory or regulatory period of time. Merely serving in, “acting as” or holding a position or job title authorized a higher grade is not sufficient. If you were an enlisted member or a warrant officer and also held a reserve commission, you may be eligible for advancement on the retired list if you served on active duty in that higher commissioned officer rank for the required statutory or regulatory period of time. For example, if a retired E-7, during his or her twenty or more years of active duty, also served on active duty in his or her reserve status for more than thirty consecutive days as a W-1 through W-5, or at least six months as an O-1 through O-4, or at least three years as an O-5 or above, then the application could be reviewed by the AGDRB.

When to Apply

The revised Army Regulation 15-80 no longer requires that you wait until you have reached your thirty-year mark before you can apply. In fact, for people currently on active duty, when they apply for retirement, an AGDRB will convene, if applicable, before they retire (unless the reduction was caused by misconduct, inefficiency, or for cause); but the advancement on the retired list will not occur until they reach their thirty-year mark. Therefore you may apply immediately (unless your reduction was caused by misconduct, inefficiency, or for cause); but remember, the advancement on the retired list will not take place until you reach your thirty-year mark. Additionally, if you retired after 12 August 2002 without the benefit of an AGDRB determination of your eligibility for advancement, and you qualify under 10 USC § 3964 for a review, then you should apply immediately.

How to Apply

If you qualify under 10 USC § 3964, you should request a review by the AGDRB (see AR 15-80 for a sample letter).

Mail your letter to the Army Review Boards Agency Support Division; ATTN: SFMR-RBR-SL; 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis; Missouri 63132-5200. The ARBA Support Division will attach your official military personnel file (OMPF) to your letter and forward your application to the Army Review Boards Agency in Arlington, Virginia. The AGDRB, consisting of three field grade officers, will convene to determine the highest grade you served satisfactorily while on active duty. Since you are not entitled to personally appear before the AGDRB, you should attach a copy of any relevant documents you have.

If the AGDRB decides to advance you on the retired list, your resulting increase in retired pay will be retroactive to the date you became eligible; that is, the thirty-year mark, not back to the date of retirement or the date of your application. The thirty-year mark is the date you accumulated thirty years of combined active duty service and time on the retired list. Active duty service does NOT include Section 1405 service.

Non-Regular Retirees

For those who received a non-regular retirement from the Reserve Component, AR 135-180 authorizes the Army Reserve Personnel Command to make final determinations on the highest grade served when reduction was not due to misconduct, inefficiency or for cause. If you are receiving a non-regular retirement and you were reduced for other reasons, such as a down-grade of your position or a reduction in rank caused by a reduction in force, you should write to: Commander; Army Reserve Personnel Command; ATTN: ARPC-PSP-T; 1 Reserve Way; St. Louis, MO 63132-5200. Your letter should explain the circumstances surrounding your promotions and “demotions,” the grade at which you retired, and the highest grade you held. You should also include a copy of any supporting documentation that you may have, such as promotion orders, reduction orders, and DD Forms 214. Please include your full name, social security number and if applicable, your service number.

Medical Separations and Retirements

Lastly, if you were medically retired or separated in a lower grade without the benefit of a review by the AGDRB, then you should apply for correction of military records by completing a DD Form 149 and mailing it, along with a copy of any relevant documents you may have, to the address listed on the back of the form. The Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) has jurisdiction to correct errors or injustices, and can act in place of the Army Grade Determination Review Board (AGRDB) in these cases. Further, the ABCMR reviews cases involving soldiers who were never promoted to or held a higher grade while on active duty, but who believe they were denied a promotion or were not placed on the retired list in the appropriate grade due to some error or injustice. In these cases, applications should be made to the ABCMR, using a DD Form 149, and should include any documentary evidence supporting the specific contention of error or injustice.