7th JMTC Legal Assistance Information
NCOER APPEALS
This handout contains the basic information you will need to prepare an appeal to your
Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report (NCOER). It includes an explanation of what you
may appeal, the time limit for appeals, and what information you should include in your appeal.
Be sure to use the checklist on the last page to ensure your appeal meets the requirements for
review and will not be returned to you without being considered. For additional information,
refer to Chapter 4 and Appendix F of Army Regulation 623-205, Noncommissioned Officer
Evaluation Reporting System.
What You May Appeal:
Grounds for appeal include: (1) an inaccurate or unjust evaluation of your performance
and potential, (2) administrative errors, (3) violation of the Army Regulation in effect at the time
of preparation, or (4) a combination of these. If you received a good rating, it is extremely
difficult to appeal simply because you believe you deserved a better rating. Even if successful,
the remedy applied would probably be to just remove the portions proven inaccurate or unjust,
rather than raising the scores or block placements.
In deciding what to appeal, you must consider whether you can gather useful evidence in
support of an appeal. The report is presumed to be correct until you prove that it is not. Your
self-authored statement alone is not sufficient evidence. The fact that the report is not on a level
with previous or subsequent periods is not sufficient proof that the report is wrong. Your success
in appealing a report depends mainly on your efforts to locate and present clear and convincing
evidence that the evaluation is inaccurate or unjust.
When You May Appeal:
There is no time limit for administrative appeals. If you want to make a substantive
appeal, however, you must do so within five years. You should begin preparation of an appeal as
soon as possible. As time passes, people forget and documents and key personnel are less
Please note that this Information Paper only provides basic information and is not intended to
serve as a substitute for personal consultations with a Legal Assistance Attorney.
