Can a company level Victim’s Advocate be in a leadership position such as a Platoon Sergeant with subordinate rated soldiers?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 17:45:29 -0500

I’ve read through AR 600-20, AR 623-3, and Army Directive 2018-23, and have not found anything that pertains to this specific question. If anyone knows or could point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 18 at 2022 7:55 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 19:55:37 -0500

Company level, technically yes, but should they rate anyone within the platoon, no.

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Jan 18 at 2022 9:08 PM

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 21:08:17 -0500

There aren't company VAs - I thought they got rid of those several years ago and at the company level there are SHARP trainers.

Only BDE SARC/VA is a full time job. Everything else was an additional duty when there was company and BN VAs. When SHARP started, there were company ones. I started as a company VA and then was BN Alternate VA, then primary VA and then it changed to SARC. I was a BN SARC for 2 years but it was an additional duty and I was the BDE S2 NCOIC. However, when you get assigned a case as a BN SARC/VA, that's your primary duty until it's done. But I thought at some point around 2014 they stopped company VAs - they weren't letting them get NOVA credentialed anymore. Did that change? I haven't done SARC or VA since 2014 and I know since then the SHARP Academy was created and it has training courses for SHARP trainers and then a separate one for SARC/VA.

If there are company VAs, they are a collateral duty. Everything BN and below is collateral duty, meaning it's an additional duty.