Allegations of AWOL

Teleworking, deployments, and other remote work locations can lead to misunderstandings and unfair allegations of Absence Without Leave (AWOL). It is important to understand what AWOL is and what it is not. The Law Office of Shannon James understands the seriousness of the charge and how in today’s environment it can be used indiscriminately.

Commissioned Corps regulations describes AWOL as “an officer who, without authority, fails to report to his/her appointed place of duty at the time prescribed; leaves from that place; or is absent from his/her duty station to which assigned shall be classified as AWOL, unless the absence is excused as unavoidable.”

Unfortunately, due to the pressures associated with COVID there were several cases when on the surface this instruction seemed to be violated but in fact it wasn’t. Many times, the Commissioned Corps Officer was working hard on the front lines.

There are several tools at your disposal to help ensure you are successful when defending against such a serious allegation. The Law Office of Shannon James is ready to help.