Are resolved counselings still valid? | AskTOP.net – Leader Development for Army Professionals

Are resolved counselings still valid?

I was counseled for a minor reoccurring problem about two months ago. I fixed the issue and my squad leader updated my counseling statement with an assessment that said the problem had been resolved to her satisfaction. I'm now facing an unrelated problem and my chain of command is trying to use that resolved counseling statement against me. Can they do that?

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Let’s say the counseling was meant to address a pattern of being late to formation. You completed the plan of action and your squad leader annotated in the assessment block that the issue was resolved in a satisfactory manner.

You will not find the answer to this question in any regulation. What matters is how your JAG and chain of command view counseling statements that were closed with a positive assessment. It will vary from unit to unit and by situation. Some will say that a counseling with a positive assessment is a closed issue and not on the table for debate. If this is the case, it is unlikely that they would allow the counseling statement to be used as documentation for separation or other adverse actions. Others will say that even if it has been resolved, the issue did exist and is therefore relevant. This attitude is most often adopted when the current problem can be related to the previous counseling. If you fail to report to formation in a timely manner every day this week, it doesn’t matter that your last counseling was resolved two months ago. The problem as a whole has still not been resolved.

Also, you may be able to argue that a resolved counseling is a dead issue, but you should expect to see it on your evaluation report.

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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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