Staff sergeants and senior NCOs who fail to comply with Army standards for behavior and performance will be considered for possible involuntary separation or retirement by Qualitative Management Program boards that meet during the second, third and fourth quarters of 2016.

The QMP, unlike the Qualitative Service Program, is not a drawdown tool, but a quality-control process normally held in conjunction with Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve senior NCO promotion boards.

Soldiers who are selected for involuntary separation under QMP, and who have fewer than 20 years of service, do not qualify for the Temporary Early Authority, the drawdown program known as the 15-year early retirement option. Most of these soldiers will qualify for the involuntary separation pay, which is based on rank and years of service.

During the coming year, the annual master sergeant board is scheduled to meet in the second quarter (March 1-25), the sergeant first class board the third quarter (June 1-July 1) and the sergeant major board the fourth quarter (Sept. 7-23).

The QSP is a force management process designed to cull specialties that are, or will become, overstrength and have limited promotion opportunity as the Army gets smaller. These boards also are held in conjunction with promotion boards.

Soldiers are subject to QMP processing and possible involuntary separation when derogatory information is placed in the performance or restricted section of their official file, which is called the Army Military Human Resource Record.

Documents that can trigger a QMP screening must be based on performance or conduct that occurred during a soldier's current grade. The Army does not reach back to events that occurred early in a soldier's career, and were documented in the board file used for their most recent promotion selection.

Career killers under the QMP include:

× Fear of missing out? Sign up for the Army Times Daily News Roundup to receive the top Army stories every afternoon. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to the Army Times Daily News Roundup.

A letter of reprimand issued by a general officer.

Conviction by court-martial, or punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

NCO evaluation reports under the DA Form 2166-8 series or 2166-9 series rating system that document a relief for cause, indicate non-compliance with Army standards, or a senior rater rating of "unqualified" for overall potential.

An academic evaluation report that documents an NCO Education System course failure.

Failure to qualify for promotion consideration because the NCO did not complete the required NCOES course for his or her grade. Under this provision, staff sergeants must complete the Advanced Leader Course, and sergeants first class the Senior Leader Course, before reaching 48 months in grade.

NCOs will not be considered for QMP processing if they have been approved for voluntary retirement; are in the ranks of command sergeant major or sergeant major and are within two years off reaching the E-9 retention control point of 32 years, or have been selected for promotion or attendance at the Sergeants Major Course for the purpose of promotion to sergeant major.

The latter policy only applies if a soldier's QMP referral is based on documents that were in the file when they were selected for promotion or Sergeant Major Course attendance.

Soldiers who have been notified of a QMP screening may submit a request for voluntary retirement, if eligible.

Soldiers also have the option of submitting mitigating or extenuating information to the board president regarding the event or circumstances that underlie the QMP referral.

Soldiers who seek to remove unfavorable information from their file may petition the Army's Suitability Evaluation Board based on procedures described in Chapter 7 of Army Regulation 600-37 (Unfavorable Information).

Soldiers also have the right under federal law (Title 10 USC, Section 1552) to apply to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records, which is the highest level of administrative review for correcting errors or removing injustices in their military record.

Soldiers who are selected for denial of continued service, and who do not request a voluntary retirement, will be involuntarily discharged on the first day of the seventh month after the QMP board results are approved.