Can my command stop me from going to appointments during duty hours? | AskTOP.net – Leader Development for Army Professionals

Can my command stop me from going to appointments during duty hours?

Is there a regulation on Soldier appointments? When can someone tell you that you cannot go to a court date or to your wife's OB/GYN appointment? Can you be told that the number of appointments cannot exceed so many a month? Can they tell me when to schedule appointments?

Company Command: The Bottom Line - Army Leadership Guide

To my knowledge there is no regulation governing Soldier appointments. The leader has a responsibility to manage his Soldiers’ time away from work so that it does not unfairly impact the mission or esprit de corps of the unit. You typically cannot refuse a Soldier the right to appear in court if they have been ordered to appear in court. There are some exceptions. As far as OB/GYM: the command can refuse to allow a Soldier to go to an appointment that interferes with the mission. If the appointment deals with the direct health of the Soldier, then the  Soldier should be allowed to go to the appointment. The command can direct that normal appointments must be cleared through them within a reasonable time frame (24-72 hours prior, for example).

If the command believes the Soldier is not capable of performing as a Soldier because of family issues requiring too many appointments, the command could implement a family care plan requirement under the provisions of AR 600-20. If the Soldier is unable to develop a care plan or fails to implement it in a manner that allows them to complete their duties, they can be separated from service.

Most commands will allow reasonable requests for appointments. It is only when it begins to effect the mission or the appointments appear to be excessive and the Soldier’s performance is in question that most commands will begin to crack down.

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Mark is a Retired Command Sergeant Major with 26 years of military leadership experience. He held 3 military occupational specialties (Field Artillery, Nuclear Weapons Tech, and Ammunition Ordnance). Mark is one of the leading military authors in the fields of leadership, counseling, and training.

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  • Jason

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    Hello, Im wondering if my chain of command can force me to cancel my appointments for my follow up on my Knee Surgery. I have weekly appointments that interfer with a upcoming training event that I cant participate in as is. The big issue is with COVID-19 going on I cant get a legit profile from our TMC because my appointment with the PA is in the middle of said training event. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  • Scott

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    Can a soldier be counseled for not canceling an appointment for the following day? One of my soldiers had surgery on her knee and is in physical therapy to bring it back to strength. Our chain of command asked her to cancel her appointment for the following day so she can go to the gas chamber, she was on mission all day from one place to the next and did t have time to call. Can she be counseled for not canceling??

    • Mark Gerecht

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      Yes,
      She can be counseled but the Soldier can simply disagree with the counseling statement and write in their rebuttal as to why they were unable to cancel the appointment.
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    • Mark Gerecht

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      Bottom-line
      Short answer is “YES”
      Discussion
      However, the Soldier can simply disagree with the counseling statement and provide a written explanation of the situation.

      Now from a leader’s perspective, if the Soldier was told to cancel the appointment with reasonable time to do so and the Soldier had access to a phone (personnel cell phone, phone at the training location) and the Soldier had the number to the facilitate or could have reasonable obtained this information then Yes the Soldier should be counseled.

      One of the things a Soldier must be able to do is be flexible and adapt to the situation. Now if the Leader failed to provide proper guidance, failed to provide an opportunity, and/or set the Soldier up for failure then that is another issue and the counseling should not take place.

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  • Anither inquiring Soldier

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    Can my leadership tell me I cannot make an appointment without asking them first?

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