10 U.S.C. § 14501

(a) Officers Below the Grade of Colonel or Navy Captain .— An officer on the reserve active-status list in a grade below the grade of colonel or, in the case of an officer in the Navy Reserve, captain who is in or above the promotion zone established for that officer’s grade and competitive category and who (1) is considered but not recommended for promotion (other than by a vacancy promotion board), or (2) declines to accept a promotion for which selected (other than by a vacancy promotion board), shall be considered to have failed of selection for promotion. (b) Officers Twice Failed of Selection .— An officer shall be considered for all purposes to have twice failed of selection for promotion if any of the following applies: (1) The officer is considered but not recommended for promotion a second time by a mandatory promotion board convened under section 14101(a) or a special selection board convened under section 14502(a) of this title . (2) The officer declines to accept a promotion for which recommended by a mandatory promotion board convened under section 14101(a) or a special selection board convened under section 14502(a) or 14502(b) of this title after previously failing of selection or after the officer’s name was removed from the report of a selection board under section 14111(b) or from a promotion list under section 14310 of this title after recommendation for promotion by an earlier selection board described in subsection (a). (3) The officer’s name has been removed from the report of a selection board under section 14111(b) or from a promotion list under section 14310 of this title after recommendation by a mandatory promotion board convened under section 14101(a) or by a special selection board convened under section 14502(a) or 14502(b) of this title and— (A) the officer is not recommended for promotion by the next mandatory promotion board convened under section 14101(a) or special selection board convened under section 14502(a) of this title for that officer’s grade and competitive category; or (B) the officer’s name is again removed from the report of a selection board under section 14111(b) or from a promotion list under section 14310 of this title .