Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): To ensure your record is complete for promotion boards, new deadlines are in effect for Officer Evaluation Reports (OERs), and the option to delay biennial, annual, or semiannual OERs has been eliminated. This ensures the Officer Personnel Management (OPM) and Military Records teams have enough time to process and validate all OERs before boards convene. 
For All Active-Duty and Reserve Officers
To support the Commandant's direction to accelerate the promotion of top-performing officers through in-zone reordering (IZR) and below-zone selection (BZS), the number of candidates for promotion has significantly increased.
The November 2025 policy change was deliberate talent management initiative designed to recognize and reward our highest-performing officers with the opportunity for accelerated promotion. Considering officers for BZS allows the Service to place top talent into positions of greater responsibility sooner.
To fast-track high performers, OPM now reviews broader candidate pools – which requires more time for OER processing. Therefore, the option for officers to delay their biennial, annual or semiannual OERs has been removed.
Effective immediately, biennial, annual and semi-annual OERs shall be submitted in alignment with the following schedule:
| 31 Jan |
LTJG |
| 31 Mar |
CDR, LT, ENS |
| 30 Apr |
CAPT, LCDR |
| 31 May |
All CWOs |
| 30 Jun |
LTJG (In zone) |
| 31 July |
LTJG |
| 30 Sep |
ENS |
Please note that this policy change is in effect for all active-duty officers and reserve officers who are on the Active Duty Promotion List (ADPL) and Inactive Duty Promotion List (IDPL).
“This is a significant change,” acknowledged Rear Admiral Zeita Merchant, Assistant Commandant for Workforce Management. “We are updating officer timelines that have been in existence for many years, and ending the practice of allowing OERs to be extended due to departure.”
Merchant noted that the new approach supports Force Design 2028 efforts to build a more agile and ready Coast Guard, and to fast-track careers of high performers.
"These adjustments are about one thing: ensuring we have the most effective process to recognize and promote our most talented leaders. By giving our boards the time they need to conduct a thorough review of every record, we are strengthening the integrity of our promotion system and investing in the future of our officer corps."
Your timely and accurate OERs are critical to making this vision a reality.
- Timely Submission is Critical: You must submit your OERs by the established deadlines. Late submissions may not be reviewed in time for your promotion board.
- Check Your Record: It is your responsibility to ensure your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) is accurate and complete.
You can review your record in iPERMS.
PSC will host virtual office hours to answer your questions. Stay tuned for the dates, which will be posted on PSC’s Sharepoint site and in the weekly All Hands Briefer.
Changes for Lieutenants and Chief Warrant Officers
To accommodate the increased number of OERs for review, the following schedule changes are now in effect:
- Lieutenants: Your end-of-period date is now March 31st, shifted from May 31st.
- Chief Warrant Officers (CWOs): The end-of-period for all CWOs (W-2, W-3, and W-4) is now May 31st. This change addresses issues with the previous schedule that fell during the busy transfer season and created complications for promotion OERs.
These adjustments are essential to give the four-person OPM-3 Quality Review team adequate time to validate a large volume of OERs. For example, under the old schedule, the team had only two weeks to review 529 OERs for in-and-above-zone Lieutenant Commander candidates. With the implementation of BZS, that number has grown to 1,137. 
Why the Change?
The previous OER submission schedule did not provide sufficient time for the review and validation of OERs before promotion boards, especially with the increased candidate pools. The new deadlines ensure a fair and thorough process for all officers being considered for promotion.
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