Jason Perry
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I am posting this to update my previous thread on recent changes at the AF PEB.
There is a significant change to AF Formal PEB practice that should be noted. Previously, the practice at the AF FPEB was to bring members in on orders for a week. The first day was inprocessing/orientation and either a face to face meeting with AF assigned military counsel to discuss your case or a follow on appointment in the day or so after reporting in which to accomplish the same. Thereafter, the AF attorney would coordinate with the FPEB staff to set a date for the formal hearing. The additional days were, at that time, used to either get additional examination (often at Wilford Hall MTF) or to get additional evidence from whatever source. Due to the "tyranny of time" (which I will post about later, but have referenced before, which is the pressure on the PEBs to adjudicate cases faster), this practice is no longer the case.
Currently, members are being ordered to report, and to meet with their assigned counsel the same day. The FPEB hearings are being scheduled for the next day. Here is an excerpt from the reporting instructions in one of my client's cases (this is a standard instruction applicable to all AF members):
"1.Reporting to the FPEB: You must report to Randolph AFB, Bldg 663 at 0800 hours on the date indicated above. A map is attached for your use in finding the location. At that time you will be scheduled for an appointment with your assigned counsel. Your formal hearing will be the day after your reporting date, and you can expect to out-process on the 3rd duty day. "
What this indicates is that the time to prepare for the Formal PEB after meeting with assigned AF counsel is now extremely shortened. The point is to alert folks that if they are going to use AF assigned counsel, the preparation time is severely shortened from what the previous practice was before the AF FPEB. This means that prior to travel to Randolph AFB, you must prepare in advance and coordinate much earlier for consultation and preparation of your case with your counsel.
Overall, I think this is a bad thing for AF members. The push to "meet timelines" has resulted in less time for members to get a fair FPEB hearing. If you are in a short timeframe before your AF FPEB report date, you must coordinate as soon as possible with your assigned counsel in order to maximize your chances for success at the FPEB. In my opinion, this change is very bad for members and for the accuracy and fairness of outcomes.
The earlier thread can be found here: http://www.pebforum.com/site/threads/air-force-peb-update.20760/