(a) Submitting group applications. Applications on behalf of a civilian or contractual group shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Air Force using the instructions in appendix A to this part.
(b) Processing group applications. (1) When received, the recorder shall review the application for sufficiency and either return it for more information or accept it for consideration and announce acceptance in the Federal Register.
(1) When received, the recorder shall review the application for sufficiency and either return it for more information or accept it for consideration and announce acceptance in the Federal Register.
(2) The recorder shall send the application to the appropriate advisory panel for historical review and analysis.
(3) When received, the recorder shall send the advisory panel's report to the applicant for comment. The applicant's comments shall be referred to the advisory panel if significant disagreement requires resolution. Additional comments from the historians also shall be referred to the applicant for comment.
(4) The DoD Civilian/Military Service Board shall consider the group application, as established, in paragraph (a) and paragraphs (b) (1) through (3) of this section.
(5) After the Secretary of the Air Force makes a decision, the recorder shall notify the applicant of the decision and announce it in the ``Federal Register.''
(c) Submitting individual applications. When a group is recognized, individual members may apply to the appropriate Military Department or to the Coast Guard for discharge documents. Submit applications on DD Form 2168, ``Application for Discharge of Member or Survivor of Member of Group Certified to Have Performed Active Duty with the Armed Forces of the United States.'' An application on behalf of a deceased or incompetent member submitted by the next of kin must be accompanied by proof of death or incompetence.
Sec. Appendix A to Part 47--Instructions for Submitting Group
Applications Under Public Law 95-202
A. In Submitting a Group Application: 1. Define the group to include the time period that your group provided service to the U.S. Armed Forces.
2. Show the relationship that the group had with the U.S. Armed Forces, the manner in which members of the group were employed, and the services the members of the group provided to the Armed Forces.
3. Address each of the factors in Sec. 47.4.
4. Substantiate and document the application. (The burden of proof rests with the applicant.)
B. Send Completed Group Applications To: Secretary of the Air Force (SAF/MRC), DoD Civilian/Military Service Review Board, Washington, DC 20330-1000.
Sec. Appendix B to Part 47--The DoD Civilian/Military Service Review
Board and the Advisory Panel
A. Organization and Management
1. The board shall consist of a president selected from the Department of the Air Force and one representative each from the OSD, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Air Force, and the U.S. Coast Guard (when the group claims active Coast Guard service). Each member shall have one vote except that the president shall vote only to break a tie. The board's decision is determined by majority vote. The president and two voting members shall constitute a quorum.
2. The advisory panel shall act as a nonvoting adjunct to the board. It shall consist of historians selected by the Secretaries of the Military Departments and, if required, by the Secretary of Transportation. The respective Military Departments and the DOT shall ensure that the advisory panel is provided with administrative and legal support.
B. Functions
1. The board shall meet in executive session at the call of the president, and shall limit its reviews to the following:
a. Written submissions by an applicant on behalf of a civilian or contractual group. Presentations to the board are not allowed.
b. Written report(s) prepared by the advisory panel.
c. Any other relevant written information available.
d. Factors established in this part for determining AD service.
2. The board shall return to the applicant any application that does not meet the eligibility criteria established in Sec. 47.4(a). The board only needs to state the reasons why the group is ineligible for consideration under this part.
3. If the board determines that an application is eligible for consideration under Sec. 47.4(a), the board shall provide, to the Secretary of the Air Force, a recommendation on the AD service determination for the group and the rationale for that recommendation that shall include, but not be limited to, a discussion of the factors listed in Sec. 47.4.
a. No factors shall be established that require automatic recognition. Neither the board nor the Secretary of the Air Force shall be bound by any method in reaching a decision.
b. Prior group determinations made under Public Law 95-202 do not bind the board or the Secretary of the Air Force. The board and the Secretary of the Air Force fully and impartially shall consider each group on its own merit in relation to the factors listed in section D. of this Directive.