How to Use EES to Transfer an OER to a New Rater

A change in rater can occur after a reassignment, leadership transition, change of duty position, or a correction to the official rating chain. When an Officer Evaluation Report (OER) is already in progress, the Evaluation Entry System (EES) may need to be updated so the evaluation reaches the correct rater without losing its status or routing history.

EES is an Army administrative system, and available actions depend on the user’s role and permissions. A rated officer may be able to review or acknowledge an evaluation, while the senior rater, unit administrator, or servicing S1 may be responsible for changing the rating chain and restarting the workflow.

The safest approach is to verify the personnel records first, document why the rater changed, and coordinate with the unit administrator before making edits. Avoid creating a duplicate OER unless the servicing office directs you to do so.

Confirm the Reason for the Rater Change

Start by determining whether the change is administrative or substantive. A rater may have departed the unit, transferred to another position, become unavailable, or no longer meet the required rating relationship. In other cases, the original rater may have been entered incorrectly in the system.

The new rater should normally have a valid duty relationship with the rated officer and sufficient observation time to provide a fair evaluation. If the rater change occurs near the end of the evaluation period, the senior rater and S1 may need to determine whether the new rater can properly assess performance or whether an exception, memorandum, or supplementary documentation is necessary.

Check the evaluation’s status before requesting an update. An OER that is still in draft or routing may be handled differently from one that has been signed, completed, or submitted for processing.

Prepare the Records and Supporting Information

Gather the rated officer’s identifying information, the evaluation period dates, current OER status, original rater details, and the proposed rater’s name and organization. Include the effective date of the rating-chain change and a short explanation supported by unit records.

The rating chain should also be checked against the Army’s personnel and assignment data. If the underlying record is wrong, correcting the source record may be more effective than trying to force a change inside EES. Keep copies of approved correspondence and screenshots showing the OER status before any update.

Administrative changes often occur alongside other personnel updates. For example, a name change may require an updated military identification card, so personnel can review this ID card update guide while coordinating related records.

Locate the OER in EES

Sign in to EES through the authorized Army access point and open the evaluation management area. Use the available search fields to locate the OER by the rated officer’s details, evaluation period, or report identifier. Carefully compare the displayed dates and rating officials with the supporting documents.

Look for an action such as editing the evaluation, changing the rating chain, returning the report, or managing participants. The exact wording can vary by user role and system version. If the option to replace the rater is missing, do not attempt to work around the permission structure by creating a second report.

The unit administrator or S1 may need to make the change, return the evaluation to an earlier stage, or coordinate with the appropriate EES support channel. Record who made the request, when it was submitted, and what action was authorized.

OER Status	Likely Administrative Action	Key Point
Draft or not yet routed	Update the rater information before routing	Verify the new rating chain first
In routing	Return or correct the evaluation through authorized controls	Preserve the existing report when possible
Awaiting signature	Coordinate with the current workflow manager	A new rater may require a revised route
Signed by some officials	Ask S1 or the administrator whether the report must be reopened	Do not delete a signed record
Completed or submitted	Use the official correction or appeal process	A new evaluation may not be the proper remedy

Transfer the Evaluation Through the Authorized Workflow

If EES allows the change, select the appropriate rater-management or evaluation-editing action and enter the new rater’s verified information. Confirm the new official’s rank, name, organization, duty position, and contact details before saving. A small spelling or organization error can delay routing.

After the rater is updated, review every participant in the rating chain. The senior rater, intermediate rater when applicable, and rated officer must remain correctly identified. Check the evaluation period, counseling dates, reason for submission, and duty description as well.

Save the update and verify that the OER appears in the new rater’s pending actions. The rated officer should not assume that the transfer is complete merely because the name changed on one screen. The workflow must show that the evaluation has been routed to the correct person.

Monitor Signatures and Routing

Once the new rater receives the OER, the evaluation should proceed through the required review and signature sequence. Follow up through the unit’s established administrative channel if the report does not appear in the new rater’s queue or remains stuck in an earlier stage.

The new rater should review the report carefully before signing, especially if the evaluation was prepared or partially completed under the previous rating chain. The change of rater does not automatically validate the content. Performance statements, dates, duty descriptions, and support forms should still accurately reflect the rated officer’s service.

After each required signature, check the status in EES and retain confirmation of completion. If the report is rejected or returned, read the reason carefully and coordinate the correction with the administrator rather than making unrelated edits.

Handle Cases EES Cannot Resolve

Some OER transfers cannot be completed directly by the rated officer or current rater. This may happen when the evaluation has already been completed, the original rater is unavailable, the rating relationship is disputed, or the personnel system does not match the unit’s records.

In these cases, contact the servicing S1, brigade or installation administrative office, and the designated evaluation support authority. Provide the report identifier, evaluation dates, status history, explanation for the rater change, and any approval memorandum. Ask which action is appropriate: reopening the evaluation, correcting the rating chain, submitting a statement, or processing a new report.

Do not delete, overwrite, or duplicate an OER simply to make the new rater appear in EES. Those actions can create conflicting records and may complicate promotion, selection-board, or personnel-file reviews.

Practical Checks Before Submission

Use this short review before routing the corrected evaluation:

• Confirm that the new rater had an authorized rating relationship during the applicable period.
• Verify the rater’s name, rank, organization, duty position, and email or system profile.
• Check that the senior rater and other rating officials remain accurate.
• Save evidence of the change request, approval, and final EES status.
• Contact S1 if the report is signed, locked, missing, or routed to the wrong official.

OER records should remain consistent with the official personnel file. If related separation documents are needed later, reserve and Guard personnel can review guidance on requesting a Reserve DD-214, while veterans seeking documentation for a benefits claim may find this DD-214 benefits guide useful.

Review the OER status, coordinate with the responsible administrator, and document each step before the evaluation moves forward. Taking that approach helps the new rater receive the correct report while protecting the accuracy and continuity of the official evaluation record.