NCOERS/OERs

Evaluations are not due to HRC until 90 days after the thru date of the report. Report thru dates are sometimes the day the Soldier leaves the unit; sometimes the thru date is the date of report to the new unit; sometimes the thru date is something else. If we want folks to PCS with their evaluations, then we need to change the regulation to make the reports due to HRC by the day the Soldier departs the previous post. But the reason the reports aren't due to HRC until 90 days after the thru date is so that they can be written AFTER the rating period so as to take into account all performance during the rating period. The current system completely subverts this process, with many units (and all the units I've served in) making reports due to the senior rater 30 or 60 or 90 days before the thru date. Thus, I don't believe that actually writing the evaluation is the issue; the issue is the process and the 90 days given by regulation to have the signed evaluation back to HRC.

I do agree, though, that if counseling is done correctly that writing an evaluation is simple. But how many units really do counseling at all? I'd assess that at the small unit level (say, company and below), unit leaders have a vested interest in conducted counselling correctly. That vested interest is that senior leaders make counselling a priority for these small units (and, most of the time, an inspectable item). But I'd also assess that, say, above the company level, counseling simply just isn't done, or if it is, at least isn't done correctly. Example: I've been a major since December 2009. That's 4.5 years. I've been counselled once (an initial counseling from a new rater); and even that was not done correctly. In my last operational unit as a captain and a company commander, it was expected that my unit would conduct counselling (and we tried our best), but I was never counselled by my senior rater and was counselled only about 3 times by my rater (initial counseling, OERs). I'd have to go back and look at what the regulation requires for counseling for periodic counseling for officers, but I'm guessing its more than once a year.

I've had to PCS before without my NCOER. I didn't like it one bit. You're right if the Officer/PSG are doing their jobs with the counseling, or even half way paying attention to what their troops are doing the evaluation pretty much writes itself.

1SG, I know when I was doing NCOERs for my squad leader the biggest problem we had was when the BN S-1 would send it back for changes multipul time. It was like they didn't read the whole thing and as soon as they found something they thought need to be change they would send it back. Changes get made and re-submitted they would send it back to correct something else. Now we had to send a printed copy and one on a flash drive. If it was something as simple as a period, why couldn't they just put it in? But this would cause NCOERs to not be completed and ready for SM signiture prior to PCSing.