Ensure Your Awards Are In Your Record

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Changes to how the Navy processes awards makes it easier for Sailors to confirm their personal decorations and medals are reflected in their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), officials said Jan. 29.

NAVADMIN 016/13 outlines the steps Sailors should take to verify their awards are accurately reflected in the Navy Department Awards Web Service (NDAWS) and their OMPF. All personal awards, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and higher, should be showing in a service member's record.

"In the past, award citations or certificates received directly from the member for the OMPF were not accepted, since they were required to be mailed from the command authorized to enter the award into NDAWS," said Jim Giger, head of Records Management Policy Branch (PERS-313), Navy Personnel Command (NPC). "Sailors will now be able to send in copies of their own award citations or certificates for their OMPF if the award is accurately reflected in NDAWS."

Before a Sailor requests a missing award citation or certificate be added to their OMPF, they should verify the award is recorded in NDAWS by visiting the U.S. Navy Awards website at https://awards.navy.mil and launching the "Personal Awards Query."

If a Sailor's award is recorded in NDAWS, but missing in their OMPF, they should mail a legible, clean copy of the signed award citation, or certificate in the case of Navy and Marine Corps Commendation and Achievement Medals, with the service member's full social security number printed in the upper right hand corner, to PERS-313 at:

Navy Personnel Command
PERS-313
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-3130

According to Giger, if a Sailor's award is not reflected in the NDAWS database, the citation will not be accepted by NPC for entry into the service member's OMPF. To resolve this conflict, a Sailor must contact their command's NDAWS coordinator, since only NDAWS coordinators can enter approved awards into the NDAWS database.

The NDAWS coordinator will need an original copy of the award citation/certificate and, if available, a copy of the orders from the service or joint approval authorities. Once and award is entered and reflected in the database, the NDAWS coordinator will then submit the award citation or certificate to NPC for entry into the service member's OMPF.

Awarding authorities must submit a completed OPNAV Form 1650/3 and award citations or certificates to their NDAWS coordinator for entry into NDAWS. A list of NDAWS coordinators is available on the U.S. Navy Awards website.

"It is important that only authorized personal awards are reflected in both NDAWS and in a service member's OMPF," said Giger. "And ensuring only those award citations or certificates that are accurately reflecting in NDAWS are included in the OMPF will increase the integrity of both NDAWS and the OMPF."

Per NAVADMIN 016/13, Sailors submitting a selection board package with an award citation or certificate not already in their OMPF, but recorded in NDAWS, will automatically have the award added to their OMPF. Those Sailors can expect to see the award citation added to their OMPF four to six weeks after the selection board has adjourned, said Giger.

Sailors can access their OMPF anytime online for the most up-to-date service record information by visiting BUPERS Online (BOL) at https://www.bol.navy.mil.

For more information, read NAVADMIN 016/13, visit the NDAWS Web Page on the NPC website at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/career/recordsmanagement/pages/awddecormedal.aspx or call the NPC Customer Service Center at 1-866-U-ASK-NPC or 1-866-827-5672.

For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.