§628. Special selection boards

(a)(1) In the case of an officer who is eligible for promotion who the Secretary of the military department concerned determines was not considered for selection for promotion by a selection board because of administrative error, the Secretary concerned, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, shall convene a special selection board under this subsection (composed in accordance with section 612 of this title or, in the case of a warrant officer, composed in accordance with section 573 of this title and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned) to determine whether such officer should be recommended for promotion.

(2) A special selection board convened under paragraph (1) shall consider the record of the officer as his record would have appeared to the board that should have considered him. That record shall be compared with a sampling of the records of those officers of the same competitive category who were recommended for promotion, and those officers who were not recommended for promotion, by the board that should have considered him.

(3) If a special selection board convened under paragraph (1) does not recommend for promotion an officer in a grade below the grade of colonel or, in the case of an officer of the Navy, captain whose name was referred to it for consideration, the officer shall be considered to have failed of selection for promotion.

(b)(1) In the case of an officer who is eligible for promotion who was considered for selection for promotion by a selection board but was not selected, the Secretary of the military department concerned, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, may convene a special selection board under this subsection (composed in accordance with section 612 of this title or, in the case of a warrant officer, composed in accordance with section 573 of this title and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned) to determine whether such officer should be recommended for promotion if the Secretary concerned determines that-

(A) the action of the board which considered the officer was contrary to law or involved material error of fact or material administrative error; or

(B) the board did not have before it for its consideration material information.

(2) A special selection board convened under paragraph (1) shall consider the record of the officer as his record, if corrected, would have appeared to the board that considered him. That record shall be compared with the records of a sampling of those officers of the same competitive category who were recommended for promotion, and those officers who were not recommended for promotion, by the board that considered him.

(3) If a special selection board convened under paragraph (1) does not recommend for promotion an officer whose name was referred to it for consideration, the officer incurs no additional failure of selection for promotion.

(c)(1) Each special selection board convened under this section shall submit to the Secretary of the military department concerned a written report, signed by each member of the board, containing the name of each officer it recommends for promotion and certifying that the board has carefully considered the record of each officer whose name was referred to it.

(2) The provisions of sections 617(b) and 618 of this title apply to the report and proceedings of a special selection board convened under this section in the same manner as they apply to the report and proceedings of a selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title.

(d)(1) If the report of a special selection board convened under this section, as approved by the President, recommends for promotion to the next higher grade an officer whose name was referred to it for consideration, such officer shall, as soon as practicable, be appointed to the next higher grade in accordance with subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 624 of this title.

(2) An officer who is promoted to the next higher grade as the result of the recommendation of a special selection board convened under this section shall, upon such promotion, have the same date of rank, the same effective date for the pay and allowances of that grade, and the same position on the active-duty list as he would have had if he had been recommended for promotion to that grade by the board which should have considered, or which did consider, him.

(e) The provisions of section 613 of this title apply to members of special selection boards convened under this section.

(Added Pub. L. 96–513, title I, §105, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2859 ; amended Pub. L. 98–525, title V, §527(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2525 ; Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title XI, §1131(4), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1506 ; Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title X, §1052(10), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2499 .)

Amendments

1992-Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 102–484 substituted "section 573" for "section 558".

1991-Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 102–190 substituted "section 573" for "section 558".

1984-Subsecs. (a)(1), (b)(1). Pub. L. 98–525 substituted "(composed in accordance with section 612 of this title or, in the case of a warrant officer, composed in accordance with section 558 of this title and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned)" for "(composed in accordance with section 612 of this title)".

Effective Date of 1991 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 102–190 effective Feb. 1, 1992, see section 1132 of Pub. L. 102–190, set out as a note under section 521 of this title.

Delegation of Functions

Functions of President under subsec. (d)(1) to approve, modify, or disapprove report of a selection board delegated to Secretary of Defense to perform, without approval, ratification, or other action by President, and with authority for Secretary to redelegate, see Ex. Ord. No. 12396, §§1(a), 3, Dec. 9, 1982, 47 F.R. 55897, 55898, set out as a note under section 301 of Title 3, The President.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 618, 641 of this title.