The NCOER Explained: Rating Chains, Report Types, and How Not to Get Kicked Back

The NCOER process trips up more NCOs — and more S1s — than almost any other administrative action in the Army. Not because it’s complicated, but because people don’t learn the mechanics until something goes wrong. This article is the mechanics: who’s in the rating chain, what each role requires, when a supplemental reviewer is mandatory, how the form gets processed, and the most common reasons NCOERs get kicked back before they ever reach a board.

The Rating Chain: Roles and Eligibility

The NCOER rating chain for the DA Form 2166-9 series consists of three positions. Each has distinct responsibilities and eligibility requirements under AR 623-3.

Role	Who They Are	Focus	Minimum Rated Time
Rater	Immediate supervisor of the rated NCO	Performance — what they did, against what standard	90 days to author an annual report
Senior Rater	Immediate supervisor of the rater	Potential — comparative ranking, future assignments	60 days
Supplemental Reviewer	Senior NCO above the SR (SFC–1SG/MSG)	Accuracy and fairness — not an evaluator	No minimum — required by position, not time

Source: AR 623-3, Paragraphs 2-5 through 2-8. Army Publishing Directorate.

The rater’s lane is performance. The senior rater’s lane is potential. These are not interchangeable. A rater who writes about future potential and a senior rater who writes about day-to-day performance have both missed their lane — and that inconsistency is a kickback flag.

When a Supplemental Reviewer Is Mandatory

This is the requirement that generates the most kickbacks in the system — consistently, across units, at every level. The supplemental reviewer is not optional administrative oversight. In specific situations AR 623-3 makes it mandatory, and submitting without one when it’s required will get the report returned every time.

A supplemental reviewer is required when:

• The senior rater is an NCO in the rank of SFC through 1SG/MSG — the supplemental reviewer must be a CSM, SGM, or commissioned/warrant officer
• The senior rater is a warrant officer WO1–CW2 or a commissioned officer 2LT–1LT
• The senior rater or someone outside the rating chain directs a Relief for Cause evaluation
• The report contains derogatory information added after the rating period closes

The supplemental reviewer examines the evaluation for accuracy and consistency — they do not evaluate the rated NCO. Their comments, when added, appear as an enclosure and cannot include evaluative statements or language that amplifies the rater or senior rater’s ratings. They review; they do not rate. And critically — they cannot direct a rater or senior rater to change an evaluation that reflects their honest professional judgment.

Senior Rater Profile: The Forced Distribution

The senior rater’s “Most Qualified” box is restricted to fewer than 24% of the NCOs a senior rater evaluates. This forced distribution is tracked by HRC and enforced. A senior rater with a bloated profile — too many Most Qualified ratings relative to their population — will see their ratings discounted at the board level. NCOs rated Most Qualified by a senior rater with a clean, well-managed profile carry more weight than the same box from a senior rater who gives it to everyone. Senior raters should know their profile standing before signing any NCOER.

EES and ERS: How the System Works

NCOERs are processed entirely through the Evaluation Entry System (EES) — the Army’s official platform for initiating, routing, signing, and submitting evaluation reports through HRC. EES manages the entire workflow digitally. Under normal circumstances, there is no manual submission path — the form version is controlled by EES itself, which eliminates one of the oldest sources of administrative error.

The rating chain signs digitally through EES in sequence: rater first, then senior rater, then supplemental reviewer where required, then the rated NCO acknowledges receipt. Signatures applied out of sequence or missing required officials will stop routing until resolved.

For historical evaluation data, thru dates, and any information that may have dropped or needs to be verified, the Evaluation Reporting System (ERS) is the reference tool. If something looks wrong with dates, gaps, or prior evaluations in the record — ERS is where you look first.

The Seven NCOER Report Types

Report Type	When Required
Annual	Every 12 months on the rated NCO’s anniversary month
Change of Rater	When the rater changes and minimum rated time is met (90 days for rater)
Relief for Cause	When an NCO is relieved of duties for cause — adverse, requires mandatory review
Complete the Record	Before a centralized board if no NCOER exists in the past 12 months
60-Day Rater Option	Rater option when departing after 60 or more rated days
60-Day Senior Rater Option	Senior rater option when departing after 60 or more rated days
TDY / Special Duty / TCS	For Soldiers on extended temporary duty or temporary change of station

Source: AR 623-3. Two successive duty positions and one broadening position are listed on DA Form 2166-9 series NCOERs.

Common Reasons NCOERs Get Kicked Back

Most kickbacks are preventable. A report that comes back from S1 or HRC delays filing, burns against your 90-day suspense, and signals that the chain wasn’t paying attention. Here are the ones that actually happen:

1. Missing Supplemental Reviewer — The Most Common

If the senior rater falls into one of the mandatory categories — SFC through 1SG/MSG, WO1–CW2, 2LT–1LT — a supplemental reviewer signature is required. This gets missed more than any other requirement in the system. Confirm the requirement before initiating in EES, identify who fills the role, and make sure they’re in the routing chain from the start. Finding out after routing is underway costs time you may not have against your suspense.

2. Rater or Senior Rater Eligibility Not Met

The rater must have been the rated NCO’s immediate supervisor for a minimum of 90 rated days to author an annual NCOER. The senior rater requires 60 days. When rating chains change mid-period and minimum time isn’t met, a Change of Rater report may be required. Verify eligibility before initiating the form in EES — not after it’s already routed.

3. Date Errors and Period Gaps

The “From” and “Thru” dates must align exactly with the previous evaluation — no overlaps, no gaps. Verify in ERS before entering anything new. A date discrepancy between the end of the last NCOER and the start of the current one will stop the report. Pull the prior evaluation and confirm the dates before initiating.

4. Counseling Dates Not Documented on the Support Form

The DA Form 2166-9-1A requires documented initial counseling and follow-up dates. If the rater block shows no counseling dates, or the dates don’t align with what’s in the counseling packet, it comes back. This is the direct paper consequence of treating counseling as optional. No documented dates, no compliant NCOER.

5. Rater and Senior Rater Comments Out of Lane

Rater narrative covers performance. Senior rater narrative covers potential. When these lanes are reversed — a rater writing about future potential, a senior rater recapping daily duties — the report is out of lane. It gets flagged at the reviewer level and at HRC when it doesn’t.

6. Out-of-Sequence or Missing Signatures in EES

Digital signatures in EES must be applied in the correct sequence: rater, senior rater, supplemental reviewer where required, then rated NCO acknowledgment. A signature out of sequence or a missing required official stops routing. Resolve eligibility and chain issues before initiating — don’t route around a missing signature.

7. Inconsistency Between Box Checks and Narrative

Box checks and written narrative must tell the same story. A “Far Exceeded Standard” overall with two generic bullets and no quantification is inconsistent and gets flagged. If the narrative doesn’t support the box, either the box is wrong or the narrative is inadequate. Both need to be right before routing.

8. Missing or Inaccurate Duty Description

The duty description and principal duty title must reflect what the NCO actually did during the rating period — not their MOS title, not a copy-paste from the prior year, not what they were supposed to be doing. Mismatch between the duty description and what the bullets describe is a flag at every level of review.

9. Missing the 90-Day HRC Suspense

A completed NCOER that doesn’t reach HRC within 90 days of the “Thru” date creates an AMHRR gap. Track your own suspense in ERS. Verify routing status in EES. If the report is sitting unsigned in someone’s queue, escalate. Don’t wait until a promotion board is weeks out.

Questions about EES, ERS, rating chain eligibility, supplemental reviewer requirements, or a kickback situation you’re navigating? Post it in the Leadership & Pro Development forum — someone in the formation has been there.