New evaluation forms for some Airmen begins Aug. 1

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. A.C. Eggman
  • 35th Fighter Wing public affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  In July, Air Force officials announced the new changes to the officer and enlisted evaluation forms.

"The changes to the evaluation system were long overdue," said Maj. Brian Schooley, 35th Mission Support Squadron commander. "One of the huge benefits of the new evaluations is the electronic signature capability. This feature will expedite coordination, especially when raters or additional raters are deployed. This should improve EPR/OPR (enlisted and officer performance reports) timeliness."

Base military personnel flights have been taken out of the process and the evaluations now go to the Air Force Personnel Center, at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, for processing.

The major reason for the new forms was to reduce the workload and a cumbersome process, said Air Force officials. To reduce the time spent on the evaluations, enlisted and officer narrative comments are now significantly reduced and performance assessment areas now reflect the increased responsibility Airmen have as they are promoted.

Three key changes for the enlisted evaluations include more focus on performance, the ratee is involved in the process, and physical fitness is now included.

"In my opinion, the new forms better reflects the person's true performance," said Tech. Sgt. Kecia King, 35th Mission Support Squadron career enhancements section chief, who supervises two Airmen. "In addition, the new performance feedback assessment gives the ratee the opportunity to see a real reflection of the direction they are heading. It also keeps a sense of integrity between the supervisor and the ratee."

Beginning Aug. 1, senior master sergeants will be the first Airmen to have their performance assessed with the new enlisted evaluation forms. Starting Aug. 15, airman basic through senior airman, chief master sergeants and second lieutenants through colonel will be evaluated with the new forms. Master sergeants' evaluations start Oct. 1, followed by technical and staff sergeants in January.

"As with any new program, there is an initial learning curve," said Major Schooley. "But I believe as we move down the road with the new evaluations, our force will appreciate the various enhancements this system provides--focused evaluations, less cumbersome administrative workload, improved timeliness, and significantly improved feedback."

Other significant changes to the officer and enlisted evaluation forms include:

Fitness
-- Fitness scores will not be included; however, Airmen will be marked as "Meets Standards," "Does Not Meet Standards" or "Exempt."
-- Airmen must still score a 75 or higher to qualify for meets standards.
-- For Airmen who do not meet standards, a referral report will be generated.
-- Commanders can request a 59-day extension for the Airman to retest on the fitness test.
-- Exemptions and does not meet standards require a commander to comment on fitness only.

Feedback
-- The rater will conduct a face-to-face feedback before ratee signs the form.
-- If the rater and ratee are geographically separated, the feedback will be conduct via telephone or through e-mail.
-- The new evaluation now serves as a follow-on feedback.
-- The ratee's signature acknowledges: the feedback was conducted in conjunction with the evaluation close out, and the information the form is accurate.
-- The ratee can address significant discrepancies and administrative errors at this time; however the rater is not obligated to make the requested changes.
-- The ratee has three duty days (30 days for traditional Reserve and Guard) to return signed form to the rater.
-- If ratee refuses to sign form, it will not stop the evaluation from being processed. The rater can sign that the ratee refused to sign or failed to sign by the three-day suspense.

Performance assessment
-- The performance assessment area is now broken down into specific standards.
-- Comments must be made for each standard and be in bullet format.
-- White space is now allowed.
-- The Air Force Form 910 has five standards plus a comment area.
-- There are additional standards listed for E-5s and E-6s.
-- The Air Force Form 911 has six standards plus a comment area.
-- There is also a block for significant additional duties, where the rater can list key duties, tasks and responsibilities. This is limited to four bullet-format lines.
- Senior noncommissioned officers must complete the Academy and have a Community College of the Air Force degree to receive a senior rater's signature.

Officers also had some significant changes to their evaluations:
-- There is now only one form for all officer grades second lieutenant through colonel.
-- There is an added space to capture the senior rater's identification.
-- The officer's duty description is reduced to four lines and must be in bullet format. A bullet can include a line about unit mission if necessary to better explain ratee's duties.
-- The unit mission description was eliminated; however, it is still required on AF Form 709, the promotion recommendation form.
-- The impact on mission accomplishment description was also eliminated.
-- The performance standards are the same for all grades and the performance factors are summarized on front of the form.
-- The fitness exemption is captured on the front of the form.
-- The rater's overall assessment is reduced to six lines in bullet format.

For more detailed changes and to review the forms, go to http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/