10 U.S.C. § 1556 — Ex parte communications prohibited

(a) General rule. Each military-department Secretary must ensure that an applicant seeking correction by the Army^* Review Boards Agency, Department of the Air Force Review Boards Agency, or Board for Correction of Naval Records receives copies of all correspondence and communications, including summaries of verbal communications, between the agency or board (or its staff) and an outside person or entity that directly concerns or materially affects the applicant’s case. (b) Exceptions. Subsection (a) does not apply to (1) classified information; (2) information whose release is barred by law or regulation; (3) records already given to or known to be possessed by the applicant; (4) purely administrative correspondence; or (5) military records that the military-department Secretary or another source provides, or may provide, to the applicant.