The Army on Friday released an updated counseling form — effectively an employee evaluation — marking the first significant change in more than 40 years.
The new DA Form 4856 could dramatically shift discussions around professional development and help leaders better track their formation's training.
It replaces the old form used since the 1980s, which provided minimal guidance. The new DA 4856 loosely resembles the noncommissioned officer evaluation support form and even has a section that measures how well soldiers balance work and their personal life.
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Previously, at the center of counseling sessions were “Key Points of Discussion,” an open-ended box in which the leader counseling the soldier would simply write down the topic and there was little direction outside of a relatively brief regulation.
Instead, this new version of DA 4856 is dynamic and can change templates on the fly based on the type of counseling being performed. An NCO counseling a soldier can click on the PDF for different types of circumstances, whether the counseling is intended for a performance review or whether the soldier is recommended for promotion.
You can access the new DA Form 4856 here.
