Changes make Letter of Evaluation more effective evaluation instrument

  • Published
The Air Force Personnel Center here recently introduced several changes to Air Force Form 77, Letter of Evaluation, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve and refine its processes.

Some of the specific improvements included upgrading the form's layout and usability, creating dropdown boxes to eliminate confusion, and adding additional rater and ratee acknowledgement blocks.

"These changes enhance the forms' utility and make them more user-friendly for Airmen and their rating officials," said Master Sgt. Jason Malec, Superintendent of Air Force Evaluation programs at AFPC. "We will continue to look for ways to provide Airmen with the tools they need."

The recent changes also stem from senior rater feedback that revealed a need for an additional rater review on all deployed commander LOEs. With the rollout of the new form, officers who serve as commanders for more than 45 consecutive days in support of a named operation must have an additional rater's signature on the LOE before the document is filed in the officer's permanent record.

The permanent record is reviewed by various boards at several points in an officer's career, including promotion cycles, development team vectoring and command screening boards.

"Since the LOE was not originally designed as a permanent document, the additional rater block ensures there is another rater in the chain of command, building in assurance that the form provides an accurate portrayal of performance," said Will Brown, Air Force Evaluation programs chief at AFPC. "This practice also falls in line with the officer and enlisted performance reports."

Airmen routinely return home from deployment with an LOE from their in-theater supervisor. The form is then used by the home station supervisor when completing the annual EPRs and OPRs. The LOE has historically been discarded after this single use.

Use of the revised form, dated Feb. 12, 2009, will start effective with deployed commander LOEs which have a closeout date of April 1 or later.

The new evaluation forms, as well as the older ones, are located at www.e-publishing.af.mil.

For more information, Airmen can contact their local personnel section, visit AFPC's "Ask" Web site, or call the 24-hour Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102 or DSN 665-5000.