We understand the complexities associated with legal issues of service members and their families.

The Law Office of Shannon James recently helped a client who unfairly received a Letter of Reprimand (LOR) for a perceived lack of readiness.  The alleged infraction was said to have occurred during the height of the COVID pandemic while our client was leading the fight on its front lines.

The Commissioned Corps sent our client an email to inform him of the issue, but because of the client’s intense COVID response work, it was never seen.  The Commissioned Corps skipped its own procedures, never gave our client a Letter of Counseling (LOC), nor was his liaison or supervisor ever notified before the officer received a LOR.

The improper LOR prevented awards and promotion for our client, as well as forced our client to pay back Health Professions Specials Pay.  Our client subsequently stopped receiving the Health Professionals Specials Pay for three critical years during the pandemic.

The Law Office of Shannon James is happy to report that the PHS Board for Corrections (BFC) decided in our client’s favor, awarding all the relief requested! 

Unfortunately, many officers are not aware that the PHS BFC decided an email notification, a LOC, and a notification to the officer’s liaison and supervisor are required steps before an officer receives a LOR in this circumstance.  All Commissioned Corps officers should be aware.

PHS BFC Decisions should be available for review at HHS.gov. Unfortunately, our client’s case was not available at the time of our posting.

Officers need to be aware they usually must apply for correction of records within a 3-year time frame. If you have questions about your situation, please get a free consultation from the Law Office of Shannon James using the contact form below.