Title 10, U.S. Code authorizes the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) to convene a Special Selection Board (SSB) for an active-duty or reserve officer who SECNAV determines meets one of the following criteria:
1. Because of an administrative error, the record of an officer or former officer above or in the promotion zone is not considered by a promotion selection board (PSB).
2. An officer considered but not selected by a PSB:
- The PSB, which considered the officer, acted contrary to law.
- The action of the PSB involved material error of fact or material administrative error, which more likely than not deprived the officer of fair and impartial consideration.
- The PSB did not have material information before it for its consideration, which would have been essential to a substantially accurate, complete, and fair portrayal of the officer’s career.
IMPORTANT: All applications for SSBs must be received NLT 3 years after the date the contested board results were made public. An SSB shall not be convened to consider an officer who, through the exercise of reasonable diligence, might have discovered and taken steps to correct that error or omission on which the original board based its decision against promotion. An officer's request for consideration by an SSB must detail the steps the officer took to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the official record prior to the convening of the board which considered, by failed to select, the officer.
I feel I fit the criteria above and want to request an SSB, what do I do now?
1. Thoroughly review SECNAVINST 1420.1B. SSBs are discussed in paragraphs 4b, 5c-5e, and 24.
2. Prepare an SSB request using this Template (requests do not require command endorsement). The Fiscal Year (FY) is not the current FY, but the FY for the SSB you are requesting.
3. Submit your request.
Navy Personnel Command
PERS-801
5720 Integrity Drive
Millington, TN 38055-8010
4. You will receive notification via email from PERS-801 that your request has been received. The process is intentionally deliberate, so please understand that it can take up to 12 months for the SECNAV to make a final determination. On average, it takes approximately 6 months. If an SSB is awarded, it can take an additional 6 months for the board to meet and the results to be released.
5. Once the SECNAV makes a determination, PERS-80 will inform you of the decision via email. If you are granted an SSB, please use this link for more information: Special Selection Board Information.
POC Phone Number: (901) 874-2322 or DSN 882-2322
