AR 600-8-22
Commanders will ensure that—
(1) Individuals on whom favorable personnel actions have been suspended are neither recommended for, nor receive an award, decoration, or a badge during the period of the suspension.
(2) Other-than-honorable service subsequent to submission of the recommendation for an award is promptly reported to the awards approving authority with a recommendation for appropriate action.
b. Exceptions. As an exception to paragraph 1–17a(1), Soldiers who are flagged for overweight or Army Physical Fitness Test failure may be recommended for and presented an award based on valor and heroism. Additionally, Soldiers who are flagged for overweight or Army Physical Fitness Test failure may be posthumously recommended for and presented an award, decoration, or a badge when assigned to a unit engaged in combat against hostile forces and the Soldier dies as a result of injuries sustained during combat.
c. Waiver for overweight and Army Physical Fitness Test failure flags. A waiver of the overweight or Army Physical Fitness Test flag must be processed for length of service retirement awards to the first general officer in the Soldier’s chain of command with award approval or disapproval authority. All waivers will be processed as separate and distinct actions from the award recommendation, and should be submitted and adjudicated prior to submission of the award recommendation. The approved waiver will accompany the award recommendation once submitted.
Can a Soldier be recommended/approved for awards while flagged for APFT failure? Updated As of 11-15-2019
I have a Soldier who is flagged for failing the APFT. The commander will not sign it because he states he is not eligible for an award. Is this correct?
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Comments
SM
Reenlisted last fall and stayed at duty station for an additional year and some. Was put on ABCP for failing tape in August 2016, and finally off the program in October 2016–paperwork wasn’t pushed up to S1 until mid-November. I just recently got to my new duty station and I asked my then Squad Leader if I was going to get a PCS award. Her response was that by the time my flag was lifted, my award would have been 60 days past due. Is that a valid statement?
Scott
, “Soldiers who are flagged for APFT failure are no longer authorized to receive an award during the period of suspension”. Waiver for overweight and APFT failure. As an exception, a Soldier who is flagged for overweight or APFT failure may be recommended for and presented an award based on valor, heroism, or for length of service retirement. A waiver for overweight or APFT failure must be processed to the first general officer in the Soldier’s chain of command for approval or disapproval. A waiver for overweight or APFT failure is not required for award of the Purple Heart. Approval or disapproval authority is delegated to the first general officer in the chain of command. All waivers will be processed as separate and distinct actions from the award recommendation, and should be submitted and adjudicated prior to submission of the award recommendation. The approved waivers will accompany the award recommendation once submitted. AR 600-8-22, Military Awards, dated 25 June 2015
james mcgill
soldier is a national guard soldier and has been flagged for pt. The soldier has moved moved out of the distance of the drilling regulation and wants to transition into the IRR.
Bryan
I have a similar situation. I will be moving out of drilling distance UNLESS out of country is authorized. My wife is Active. I passed my last PT Test in Afghanistan, and then was put on profile by Army. When I got back home, the VA (because they’re ALWAYS there when you need them) assigned me a Provider that REFUSED to write me a profile until I could be properly evaluated. I guess she felt like I should continue to break myself until 6 months later, which was the EARLIEST I could be seen for my 1st specialty care appt. In the meantime, I did not have a profile civilian-side. My unit understood and did not force a PT test on me, because it was things from Deployment that they were already aware of. Once I fired this woman after consulting my OEF/OIF coordinator, I received a new primary care who WAS prior service. He understood that all I was asking is to be placed in temp profile status until I could be properly looked at so that I did not fall under the “flagged for not taking apft for the year” condition. He wrote me a profile. However, during the time I didn’t have one, it seems my commander is using that against me to say that I didn’t have a profile. I could not afford insurance at the time. Now that my wife is active, I have TriCare, but my last record APFT before injury was an excellent passing score. The only thing I can do is give authorization for my unit to contact the VA and see the notes where I constantly complained about this lady primary care provider, until my OEF coordinator dug into them, at which point they contacted me and pretended to be concerned and then I found out that I could fire her and did so. Am I screwed during that time in limbo where I did not have a profile, even though my commander and 1SG approved me NOT taking one because they understood and did not want to further injure me?
PFC Lost
I have read, and read but cannot find the answer I am looking (hoping for). I have been active duty army for two and a half years now. I suffered a injury to my neck at the beginning of my career and now has me in the MEB process. I use to be able to strive through the pt test but my run time slowed and slowed until I failed. Few months be automatic spc promotion I was flagged for apft failure then months after due to my injuries I obtained HT/WT flag. I am in limbo now waiting on my percentages to get out and was wondering if there is something I can do to get those removed. Especially the apft one. It’s keeping me from spc.
Mark Gerecht
PFC Lost,
Unfortunately based on the information you provided the flags will remain intact. If you begin an APFT test and fail regardless of reason (including medical) the failure of the test is valid. The only exception would be if your Commander chose to invalidate the test results based on a specific fact or event. Since you were flagged this tells me the Commander most likely was familiar with the specifics of your case and did not see a reason for an exception, therefore I do not believe the Commander would revisit the matter. The flag for HT/WT the flag remains until you are removed from the ABCP program. The specific concerning flags can be found in AR 600-8-2 and the specifics for promotion to Specialist can be found in AR 600-8-19.
I fully understand this is not the answer you were hoping to get. I do wish you the best in overcoming the issues you are facing.
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Danneial
Can a Soldier attend Advance SERE training which a pre-deployment requirement if she is flagged? This is not an NCOES and required for the area in which she is to be deployed. This is an MTT training and doesn’t provide an additional identifer, but a certficate of completion.
SSG Fernandez
Soldier was not flagged during the period captured in the award recommendation. (6 month period)but received a HT/WT flag before award got the O6 signature. (Example award was for JAN-June. Sent forward in July and flagged in August.)Is the SM still able to get the award?
Mac Arthur D. "Mackie" Ocampo
SSG Fernandez,
No, The Soldier is not eligible to receive the award (unless otherwise stated below – waiver for HW). See AR 600-8-22, Par 1-17 with special emphasis on a(1):
a. Personal decorations. A medal will not be awarded or presented to any individual whose entire service subsequent to the time of the distinguished act, achievement, or service has not been honorable. The determination of “honorable” will be based on such honest and faithful service according the standards of conduct, courage, and duty required by law and customs of the service of a member of the grade to whom the standard is applied. Commanders will ensure that—
(1) Individuals on whom favorable personnel actions have been suspended neither are recommended for nor receive awards during the period of the suspension. Exceptions to the above are Soldiers who are flagged for APFT failure, in accordance with AR 600–8–2, paragraph 1–15.
(2) Other-than-honorable service subsequent to submission of the recommendation for an award is promptly reported to the awards approving authority with a recommendation for appropriate action.
b. Waiver for overweight. As an exception to subparagraph a(1), above, a Soldier who is flagged for overweight may be recommended for and presented an award based on valor, heroism, or for length of service retirement. A waiver of the overweight flag must be processed to the first general officer in the Soldier’s chain of command for approval or disapproval. A waiver for overweight is not required for award of the Purple Heart. Approval or disapproval authority is delegated to the first general officer in the chain of command. Waivers will be processed as separate and distinct actions from the award recommendation, and should be submitted and adjudicated prior to submission of the award recommendation. Approved waivers will accompany the award recommendation once submitted.
Soldier
I’ve read THIS excerpt several times, and can’t seem to make sense of what it is trying to say…
Maybe someone could help me understand?
I’m ‘assuming’ “other-than-honorable” service would be if a Soldier received some sort of unfavorable information like a letter of admonishment or a GO Letter of Reprimand….
Is THIS saying that a Soldier can still receive an award, even with the “other than honorable service”? ….
Does anyone here have experience with submitting a “recommendation for appropriate action” for a Soldier who has had “other than honorable service”? If I feel the Soldier is still deserving of an award, I can still submit the award and annotate on it that they received something like an article 15 or a letter of reprimand?
“(2) Other-than-honorable serÂvice subÂseÂquent to subÂmisÂsion of the recÂomÂmenÂdaÂtion for an award is promptly reported to the awards approvÂing authorÂity with a recÂomÂmenÂdaÂtion for approÂpriÂate action.”
Mark Gerecht
For Clarification if a Soldier is flagged for an APFT failure they may still be submitted for an award. The only thing that a Flag for failing the APFT prevents is:proÂmoÂtion, reenÂlistÂment, and extenÂsion only.
Therefore a Soldier who has failed a PT test can be submitted or and approved for an award if the chain of command feels it appropriate. Unfavorable information could be several things but let’s try this: You submit the award for the Soldier that failed the APFT and then he later placed on the weight control program, receives and article 15, etc. Then the award recommendation will be withdrawn as his conduct no longer is serviceable. Keep in mind the Soldier’s conduct must be “Honorable” from the time the award is submitted until it is presented.
I hope this clarifies the point
Mark Gerecht
Also just to make sure we are on the same sheet our terms of “honorable” and “Other Than Honorable” are talking to how the Soldier performs during a period of time.
We are not talking about types of discharges: Honorable, Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct, Dishonorable.
Anonymous
, “Soldiers who are flagged for APFT failure are no longer authorized to receive an award during the period of suspension”. Waiver for overweight and APFT failure. As an exception, a Soldier who is flagged for overweight or APFT failure may be recommended for and presented an award based on valor, heroism, or for length of service retirement. A waiver for overweight or APFT failure must be processed to the first general officer in the Soldier’s chain of command for approval or disapproval. A waiver for overweight or APFT failure is not required for award of the Purple Heart. Approval or disapproval authority is delegated to the first general officer in the chain of command. All waivers will be processed as separate and distinct actions from the award recommendation, and should be submitted and adjudicated prior to submission of the award recommendation. The approved waivers will accompany the award recommendation once submitted. AR 600-8-22,Military Awards, dated 25 June 2015
ismael
Can a Soldier be recommended/approved for awards while flagged for tape(body fat) failure?
Mark Gerecht
No. Individuals flagged for Weight Control cannot be approved for an award. Individuals that are flagged for APFT failure may receive and award. See AR 600-8-2 paragraph 1-15
a. APFT.
(1) Flags for APFT failure block promotion, reenlistment, and extension only.(2) A flag is not initiated if the soldier has a limiting physical profile that specifically prohibits taking the APFT.
b. Weight control.
(1) Flags for weight control block only attendance at full-time civil or military schooling, promotion, awards and
decorations, assumption of command, and reenlistment or extension.(2) Soldiers attending a civil or military school on the date of the flag will not be removed from such schooling.
(3) Commanders may approve reenlistments and extensions under certain medical conditions as advised by the
supporting total Army career counselor.