Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR)

The Board for Correction of Military Records is a civilian board within each military branch that reviews and corrects errors or injustices in military records. It is the highest level of administrative review available — its decisions are final within the executive branch.

Each branch has its own board:

• ABCMR — Army Board for Correction of Military Records
• BCNR — Board for Correction of Naval Records (Navy and Marine Corps)
• AFBCMR — Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records
• CGBCMR — Coast Guard Board for Correction of Military Records (under DHS)

The BCMR has broad authority to correct virtually any military record. Common requests include:

• Discharge characterization upgrades — changing a General, Other Than Honorable, or Bad Conduct discharge to Honorable. Your discharge characterization directly affects VA benefits eligibility
• Missing awards and decorations — adding medals, ribbons, or badges that were earned but not recorded
• Rank corrections — restoring rank that was incorrectly reduced or not properly recorded
• Narrative reason for separation — changing the stated reason for your discharge
• Reenlistment codes (RE codes) — correcting codes that prevent you from rejoining the military
• Medical retirement vs. separation — correcting records when you should have been medically retired rather than separated
• Records of proceedings — correcting errors in courts-martial, Article 15s, or evaluation reports

All BCMR applications use the same form:

DD Form 149 — Application for Correction of Military Record

Required Evidence

Your application is only as strong as the evidence you submit. Include as much of the following as possible:

• Personal statement: A detailed written explanation of the error or injustice and why it should be corrected. This is your most important piece of evidence.
• Service records: DD-214, performance evaluations, service record book, orders, or any documents supporting your case
• Buddy statements: Sworn statements from fellow service members who can corroborate your account
• Medical records: Military and VA medical records, especially for PTSD, TBI, or other conditions that may have contributed to the circumstances of your discharge
• Legal briefs: If you have legal representation, a formal legal argument supporting your case

Applications must be filed within 3 years from the date you discovered (or should have discovered) the error or injustice.

However, boards can — and frequently do — waive the time limit "in the interest of justice." If you are outside the 3-year window, include a clear explanation of why you are filing late and why it would be unjust not to consider your case. Many successful applications are filed years or even decades after the error occurred.

1. Submit your application: Complete DD Form 149 with all supporting evidence and submit it to your branch's board.
2. Board review: A panel of civilian employees reviews your application and all submitted evidence. Most cases are decided on the written record without a hearing, though you can request one. Processing typically takes 6 to 18 months, depending on the branch and case complexity.
3. Board recommendation: The panel issues a recommendation — either to grant, partially grant, or deny your requested correction.
4. Service Secretary decision: The board's recommendation goes to the Secretary of the respective branch (or their designee) for a final decision. In practice, the Secretary almost always follows the board's recommendation.

Both boards can change your discharge, but they are different bodies with different authority:

If you only need a discharge upgrade and you are within 15 years of discharge, the DRB is faster and allows a personal hearing. If you need broader record corrections, have a court-martial discharge, or are outside the DRB's time limit, the BCMR is your path.

• The process is slow. Plan for 6–18 months or longer. Do not wait until you urgently need the correction to apply.
• Get legal help if possible. Many veteran legal organizations and law school clinics provide free representation for BCMR cases. Having an attorney significantly improves your chances. See our legal help resource guide for pro bono programs and attorney directories.
• Be thorough in your personal statement. Explain what happened, why it was an error or injustice, and exactly what relief you are requesting. The board may not give you a second chance to explain.
• Include ALL evidence up front. While you can submit additional evidence later, it may delay your case. Put your best case forward in the initial application.
• Liberal consideration policies: Recent DoD guidance (the Hagel memo, Kurta memo, and Wilkie memo) directs boards to give liberal consideration to PTSD, TBI, MST, and other mental health conditions when reviewing discharge upgrade requests.

• DD Form 149 — Application for Correction of Military Record
• Army BCMR (ABCMR)
• Navy/Marines BCNR
• Air Force BCMR (AFBCMR)
• Coast Guard BCMR (CGBCMR)

All record correction boards operate under the same legal authority — 10 USC 1552, which authorizes the Secretary of each military department to "correct any military record...when the Secretary considers it necessary to correct an error or remove an injustice." Each board uses DD Form 149. Here are the specifics for each:

1. ABCMR — Army Board for Correction of Military Records

• Serves: Former soldiers of the Regular Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard
• Authority: 10 USC 1552; 32 CFR 581.3; AR 15-185
• Form: DD Form 149
• Submit to: Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA), 251 18th Street South, Suite 385, Arlington, VA 22202-3531 — or apply online via the ARBA portal
• Who can apply: The former member. If deceased or incompetent, the surviving spouse, next-of-kin, or legal representative (with supporting documentation)

2. BCNR — Board for Correction of Naval Records

• Serves: Former and current members of the United States Navy and Marine Corps (including Reserve personnel)
• Authority: 10 USC 1552; Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5420.193
• Form: DD Form 149
• Submit to: Board for Correction of Naval Records, 701 S. Courthouse Road, Suite 1001, Arlington, VA 22204-2490 — or electronically via the BCNR website
• Note: Applicants must exhaust all other available avenues of administrative relief before applying. The BCNR is the highest administrative level of appeal within the Naval Service

3. AFBCMR — Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records

• Serves: Former and current members of the Air Force and Space Force
• Authority: 10 USC 1552; DAFI 36-2603
• Form: DD Form 149
• Submit to: SAF/MRBC, 3351 Celmers Lane, Joint Base Andrews NAF Washington, MD 20762 — or via the AFBCMR website
• Note: The AFBCMR is the highest level of administrative review within the Department of the Air Force. Applicants should exhaust all other administrative remedies first

4. CGBCMR — Coast Guard Board for Correction of Military Records

• Serves: Former and current members of the U.S. Coast Guard
• Authority: 10 USC 1552 (Coast Guard falls under DHS, not DoD, but the same statute applies)
• Form: DD Form 149
• Submit to: DHS Office of the General Counsel, Coast Guard BCMR — contact via Coast Guard legal offices for current mailing address
• Note: Functions identically to the other BCMRs but is administered through the Department of Homeland Security rather than DoD

5. Discharge Review Boards (DRBs) — Each Branch

Each branch also has its own DRB — a separate, lower-level board that handles only discharge characterization and narrative reason changes. DRBs use DD Form 293 (not DD Form 149) and have a 15-year statute of limitations from the date of discharge. Each branch has its own DRB:

• ADRB — Army Discharge Review Board
• NDRB — Naval Discharge Review Board (covers Navy and Marines)
• AFDRB — Air Force Discharge Review Board (covers Air Force and Space Force)
• Coast Guard also operates its own DRB

If you received a less-than-Honorable discharge and believe it was due to an error or injustice, you have two paths to request an upgrade. Which one you use depends on how long ago you were discharged and what you need changed.

DRB vs. BCMR — Which to Use

• Use the DRB if you are within 15 years of your discharge date and only need to change your discharge characterization (e.g., Other Than Honorable to General or Honorable) or narrative reason for separation. The DRB offers in-person or virtual hearings and is generally faster. File DD Form 293. Block 20 is the most critical section — this is where you explain all issues you want the board to consider.
• Use the BCMR if you are past 15 years from discharge, need to change anything beyond discharge characterization (such as RE codes, rank, or records of proceedings), or have a general court-martial discharge (which DRBs cannot review). The BCMR has a 3-year guideline but routinely waives it. File DD Form 149.

Liberal Consideration Memos (PTSD, TBI, MST)

Three key memoranda from the Secretary of Defense direct all boards to give liberal consideration to veterans whose misconduct or discharge may have been connected to mental health conditions or military sexual trauma:

• Hagel Memo (2014): Directed boards to give "liberal consideration" to PTSD-related discharge upgrade applications, especially for post-9/11 veterans. Instructed boards to consider that PTSD was not well understood during earlier conflicts and that many veterans were discharged for behavior caused by undiagnosed PTSD
• Kurta Memo (2017): Expanded liberal consideration to all mental health conditions (not just PTSD), including TBI and conditions related to military sexual trauma (MST). Established "liberal consideration" as the standard — boards should grant relief unless there is a "preponderance of evidence" against the veteran
• Wilkie Memo (2018): Further clarified that liberal consideration applies to requests involving mental health conditions of any kind, reinforcing that boards should err on the side of the veteran

These memos do not guarantee an upgrade, but they have significantly improved approval rates for veterans whose service records were affected by PTSD, TBI, MST, or other mental health conditions. If your discharge was connected to any of these conditions, reference the applicable memo in your application.

How Discharge Character Affects VA Benefits

Your discharge characterization directly determines which VA benefits you can access:

• Honorable: Full access to all VA benefits
• General (Under Honorable Conditions): Access to most VA benefits including healthcare and disability compensation, but may be ineligible for GI Bill education benefits
• Other Than Honorable (OTH): Generally barred from most VA benefits. VA makes a "character of discharge determination" on a case-by-case basis. OTH veterans can access VA emergency mental health care regardless of discharge status
• Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD): VA benefits eligibility depends on the type of court-martial — special court-martial BCDs may qualify for some benefits after VA review; general court-martial BCDs are a statutory bar
• Dishonorable Discharge: Statutory bar from virtually all VA benefits under 38 USC 5303

Military records are complex, and errors are common. Here are the most frequent types of errors veterans request corrections for, and why they matter:

Wrong Separation Code or RE Code

Your DD-214 contains a separation code (SPD code) and a reenlistment eligibility (RE) code. An incorrect SPD code can misrepresent the circumstances of your separation to future employers or government agencies. A wrong RE code can prevent you from rejoining the military when you would otherwise be eligible. These codes are in Block 26 and Block 27 of your DD-214.

Missing Awards and Decorations

Awards and decorations appear in Block 13 of the DD-214. It is common for awards to be missing — especially campaign medals, service ribbons, or unit citations that were earned but never recorded in the service record. While missing awards may seem cosmetic, they can affect federal hiring preference (Purple Heart recipients get 10-point preference), eligibility for veteran organization membership, and documentation of combat service for VA claims.

Incorrect Rank at Discharge

If your rank was incorrectly reduced or not properly recorded at separation, this affects your retired pay calculations (for retirees), your disability severance pay (which is calculated using base pay at time of separation), and how your service is represented to civilian employers.

Missing Combat Service Documentation

If your DD-214 does not accurately reflect your service in a combat zone, this can affect your eligibility for combat veteran enhanced VA healthcare (10-year enrollment window), Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), and property tax exemptions in many states that require documented combat service. Dates and locations of foreign service appear in Blocks 12a-12d of the DD-214.

Wrong Dates of Service

Incorrect entry or separation dates can affect GI Bill eligibility calculations, retirement pay, and whether you qualify for benefits tied to specific service periods (such as the PACT Act's presumptive conditions for specific deployment dates).

Medical Records Errors

Missing or incorrect medical documentation can directly undermine VA disability claims. If conditions treated during service were not properly recorded, establishing service connection becomes significantly more difficult. The BCMR can add or correct medical records that should have been part of your file.