ALCGENL 003/21 - MAY 2021 SERVICE WIDE EXAMINATION (SWE) COMPETITION

R 111436Z JAN 21

ALCGENL 003/21
SUBJ: MAY 2021 SERVICE WIDE EXAMINATION (SWE) COMPETITION
A. Service Wide Examination Guide
B. Enlistments, Evaluations, and Advancements, COMDTINST M1000.2
(series)
C. Performance, Training, and Education Manual, COMDTINST M1500.10C
D. COMCOGARD FORCECOM NORFOLK VA 231450 JAN 20 ACN 012/20
E. Military Separations, COMDTINST M1000.4 (series)
F. COMCOGARD PSC-EPM WASHINGTON DC 15 DEC 20 ALCGENL 227/20
1. Summary. This message announces the May 2021 SWE competition for
all ratings, except MU and BM2, for advancement to pay grades E-5
through E-8. It contains SWE administration guidelines for commands
and eligibility requirements for May 2021 SWE candidates. COs and OICs
must ensure dissemination of this message to all active duty enlisted
members within their commands. Members planning to participate in the
SWE must be aware of the eligibility requirements outlined below and
their responsibility to meet these requirements should they elect to
participate in the May 2021 SWE competition. Failure to review and
follow the guidelines of this message will not justify a waiver of its
requirements. Commands, SWE Officers, Education Services Officers, and
SWE candidates shall familiarize themselves with Refs A through F in
addition to the contents of this ALCGENL.
2. Schedule. SWEs will be administered per the following schedule. Any
requests for deviation must comply with Refs A and B.
a. AM 04 MAY 2021 (Tuesday) SWE for ADV to E-5
b. PM 04 MAY 2021 (Tuesday) SWE for ADV to E-7
c. AM 06 MAY 2021 (Thursday) SWE for ADV to E-6
d. PM 06 MAY 2021 (Thursday) SWE for ADV to E-8
3. Waivers. This ALCGENL supersedes previously published waivers. The
following waivers apply:
a. SWE. The May 2021 SWE is waived for BM2. BM2 will continue to
advance using a supplemental advancement list.
b. RAT/AQE. Per Ref D, all Rating Advancement Tests and Enlisted
Professional Military Education (EPME) Advancement Qualification Exams
(AQE) are waived indefinitely.
c. Advancement Requirement Waivers. Requests for waivers of
advancement requirements or waivers of completion deadlines must be
sent prior to 01 April 2021. Failure by a candidate or command to
fulfill their responsibilities is not justification for a waiver past
the PDE correction deadline (01 April 2021). Using the template in Ref
A, send requests for waivers via e-mail to PPC-DG-
CustomerCare@uscg.mil and include member’s CO/XO in Cc line.
4. Candidate Responsibilities.
a. The online PDE must show a status of “Eligible” in order to receive
an exam. Candidates who participated in the previous SWE should not
assume they are automatically eligible for the upcoming SWE. The PDE
for the upcoming SWE must be verified. Candidates expecting extended
time away from their unit (i.e. extensive “C” school, deployments,
TDY, maternity leave, etc.) between the Service Wide Eligibility
Deadline (SED) and the end of the correction period should make
alternate arrangements to verify their PDE. Candidates are solely
responsible for accuracy of all PDE data, including where the SWE will
be shipped (Exam Board DEPT ID). Report any incorrect PDE data to the
unit Admin or Servicing Personnel Office (SPO). After reporting
incorrect data, candidates must verify PDE corrections were made by
reviewing their online PDE prior to the 01 April 2021 PDE correction
deadline. If the online PDE was not corrected, the candidate shall
submit a Trouble Ticket prior to 01 April 2021 to PPC by e-mail to
PPC-DG-CustomerCare@uscg.mil. PDE corrections must be visible on the
online PDE and completed NLT 01 April 2021. Failure to report and
verify online PDE corrections by the deadline will result in a “Not
Eligible” status for the SWE or loss of points in the final multiple.
PDEs will be posted online in Direct Access (DA) under the Self
Service tab in February 2021.
b. Per Chapter 3 of Ref E, active duty enlisted members who reach or
exceed their Professional Growth Point on or before 31 December 2021
(2022 High Year Tenure (HYT) Candidates) must separate or retire on or
before 01 September 2022 unless granted a waiver. HYT candidates who
meet all SWE eligibility can still participate in the 2021 SWE,
however, they will not be guaranteed advancement even if placed above
the published cutoff unless they request an HYT Waiver and advancement
authorization from PSC-EPM-1. For more information regarding HYT,
visit PSC-EPM-1’s website at https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/psc/psc-
epm/SitePages/HYT.aspx.
c. EPME EPQs. Updated EPME EPQ guidance can be found at the ERATS CG
Portal page at
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/communities/erats/SitePages/Home.aspx.
5. Command Responsibilities.
a. Command responsibilities are detailed in Article 3.A.4. and fully
amplified throughout Chapter 3 of Ref B. The most common reason for
member ineligibility is a missing current Enlisted Employee Review
(EER). Per Article 3.A.5 of Ref B, each candidate must have a current
EER with a command recommendation for each new SWE cycle. For members
competing for E-7 and E-8, the EER must be dated after 01 February
2020 and NLT than 01 February 2021. For E-5 and E-6 candidates, the
EER must be dated after 01 August 2020 and NLT than 01 February 2021.
SWE type EERs must have all competencies populated in order to be
valid. SWE-EERs must be finalized in DA NLT the 01 April 2021 PDE
correction deadline date with an effective date NLT 01 February 2021.
SWE-EERs cannot be submitted for the sole purpose of changing a
command’s recommendation. For assistance with SWE-EERs, submit an
email to HQS-SMB-CGPSC-EPM-3-Evaluations@uscg.mil.
b. If the command wishes to change an advancement recommendation, the
CO must submit a Commanding Officer Recommendation Change (CORC) type
EER per Article 4.D.3.i of Ref B. CORC EERs must be received NLT the
01 April 2021 PDE correction deadline. Note, CORC EERs must have an
effective date NLT 01 February 2021, and the CORC EER shall not be
used to reverse the advancement recommendation of a discipline EER.
For EER questions, including CORCs, contact HQS-SMB-CGPSC-EPM-3-
Evaluations@uscg.mil or the website at
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/psc/psc-epm/SitePages/EPM-3.aspx.
c. E-4 or E-5 members who complete the previous EPME EPQs prior to the
May 2021 SED of 01 February 2021 are hereby permitted to be marked
“Ready” on their March/April regular EER.  E-4 or E-5 members who
complete the previous EPME EPQs prior to the May 2021 SED and compete
in the May 2021 SWE, are hereby permitted to be marked “Ready” on any
non-discipline type EER in their current grade through 30 June 2022 in
order to remain eligible for advancement off the May 2021 SWE. E-6 and
above who completed the previous EPME EPQs prior to the May 2021 SED,
and competes in the May 2021 SWE, are hereby permitted to be marked
“Ready” on any non-discipline type EER in their current grade through
31 December 2022.
d. Commands shall verify the candidate’s most current Rating
Performance Qualifications (RPQs) and Enlisted Performance
Qualification Standards (EPQS) were signed off NLT 01 February 2021.
RPQs and EPQs must be completed and entered into Direct Access. A
competency entry process guide has been created and is located on the
ERATS CG PORTAL page. Commands shall verify a candidate has completed
the necessary qualifications and authorize entry into DA by the unit’s
Personnel and Administration  entity. The completion and approval date
of the rating competency code and enlisted performance qualification
codes recorded in DA must have an effective date on or prior to the 01
February 2021 SED to be considered for the May 2021 SWE. Both
competency codes must appear in the candidate’s DA competency record
to receive an “Eligible” PDE. Commands may enter backdated competency
codes into DA during the PDE correction period up until the 01 April
2021 PDE correction deadline date. It is highly recommended that the
competency code be entered prior to the 01 February 2021 SED so the
initial PDE shows a status of “Eligible” rather than entering
backdated competency codes and requesting PDE updates after PDEs are
released.
e. Units away from homeport on continuous deployment from early March
to the SWE date can request early mailing of SWEs. Request of early
mailing must be sent to PPC-DG-CustomerCare@uscg.mil between 11 March
and 01 April 2021.
f. Exam board DEPT ID changes must be requested on or before 01 April
2021. DEPT ID changes are requested via PPC trouble ticket by
submitting an email to PPC-DG-CustomerCare@uscg.mil.
g. Waivers of advancement requirements or completion deadlines must be
requested on or before 01 April 2021.
h. Substitute SWEs must be requested by 13 May 2021. SWE Officers
administering substitute exams shall adhere to the guidance outlined
in 3.B.2 of Ref B and Page 27 of the SWE Officer Handbook. Substitute
exams must be administered on the date authorized by PPC and may not
be delayed due to personal leave or convenience.
i. SWE Officers forwarding exams for deployed candidates shall ensure
a copy of the SWE Officer Handbook is included with the package and
shall establish a method to verify receipt. This can be done by the
required traceable shipment and an email to receiving command. SWE
Officers forwarding exams OUTCONUS, or to deployed or underway units
may contact PPC for additional guidance and can request hand carry by
authorized personnel as a method of shipment.
6. SPO Responsibilities. Last day to complete PDE corrections in DA:
01 April 2021.
7. PPC Responsibilities.
a. Post PDEs in DA: February 2021.
b. Early mailing of SWEs to underway/deployed units: March 2021.
c. Mail SWEs to exam boards: April 2021.
d. Compute final multiple: June 2021.
e. Post profile letters in DA: June 2021.
8. PSC Responsibilities. Publish SWE advancement eligibility list June
2021.
9. Miscellaneous.
a. All candidates may use non-programmable calculators. Consult the
“SWE Officer Handbook”, on the PPC web pages at the following link:
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/ppc/SitePages/Advancements%20and%20Ev
aluations%20Branch.aspx for information regarding items that may be
used by BM/OS candidates.
b. EERs in current pay grade will be used to compute the marks
multiple within the date ranges listed in Article 3.A.7.b of Ref B.
The Point Start Date (PSD) shown on the PDE will be computed per
Article 3.A.17.c of Ref B and used to determine sea, surf, and award
points. Candidates who advanced on/after 01 January 2010 will have a
PSD equal to the day following the SED for that advancement.
Candidates who have not advanced since 01 January 2010 will show a PSD
equal to their Active Duty Base Date (ADBD). Candidates with broken
service and with an adjusted ADBD may contact PPC by e-mail at PPC-DG-
CustomerCare@uscg.mil to request a PSD adjustment to capture prior
service awards.
10. PPC(ADV) is the single POC for all SWE inquiries. They can be
reached by e-mail at PPC-DG-CustomerCare@uscg.mil. For additional SWE
information go to the PPC (ADV) home page at
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/ppc/SitePages/Advancements%20and%20Ev
aluations%20Branch.aspx.
11. CAPT J. A. Carter, Chief, Enlisted Personnel Management, CG
Personnel Service Center, sends.
12. Internet release authorized.