How to Get a Military Discharge Upgrade. Discharge Review Board. Or get it from a local Department of Defense installation or the regional office of the.

The Department of Defense issued supplemental guidelines on Sept. 3 that will help its review boards when considering petitions for discharge upgrades from veterans claiming they had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the time of separation. The guidelines, issued in a memo from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, will be used by DoD's Military Department Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records. They will help in considering whether servicemembers suffered from PTSD while on active duty, and if that condition may have contributed to their discharges under other-than-honorable conditions. American Legion National Commander Michael D. Helm welcomed DoD's announcement.

Coopbuildlm Wad Downloads. 'As the only veterans service organization that automatically helps veterans with discharge petitions, The American Legion knows that many veterans are going to get the break they have deserved for several decades,' Helm said. Helm said the Legion's office in Washington handles many petitions from veterans to have their discharges upgraded to the 'honorable' or 'general' categories. 'Many of those veterans getting our help served in Vietnam, and many of them came home with undiagnosed PTSD and a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge they never should have received.'

The Legion's Washington office participated in a conference call on Sept. 4 with DoD experts who clarified the meaning and effect of the new guideline and answered questions. In 2013, The American Legion handled 211 discharge petitions and appeared at 85 military board hearings. Of the 193 petitions decided on, 60 of them received upgrades.

Some veterans want their discharge changed even if they remain eligible for many VA benefits, because they feel it dishonors the service they provided to their country. Other veterans want their discharge changed because they feel that after serving their country it is grossly unfair that they are denied VA benefits.

There are two different types of military boards that can review your discharge papers. One is the Discharge Review Board (DRB), which will be discussed in this article. The other is the Board of Correction for Military Records (BCMR). Each board has different authority, which is important to understand so you will know where to apply. It can be very difficult to get a discharge upgrade, even with the information in this article, so it is advisable to after you learn about the basics.

What Can a Discharge Review Board do? Discharge review boards can do the following.

• Upgrade general discharges, other than honorable (undesirable) discharges, and special court-martial bad conduct discharges, and • Change the reason for discharge. If you have a general courts-martial discharge or want to a change your discharge to or from medical retirement or medical discharge, you will have to apply to the. DRBs do not have authority to make these sorts of changes. Can I Get a Discharge Upgrade? You can apply to the Discharge Review Board (DRB) of your branch of the service for a discharge upgrade or a change in the discharge reason (that is, character of service). To get your discharge upgraded or your character of service changed, you will have to show that your discharge was “improper' or 'inequitable.' Improper means factually incorrect or inconsistent with the law.

Inequitable means inconsistent with the traditions and policies of the service. An example of a discharge that qualifies for an upgrade might be that a veteran served honorably and had a single bad incident or was abusing drugs or alcohol as a means of self-medicating post-traumatic stress disorder.

How to Apply to a Discharge Review Board Discharge Review Board. You can complete it online, or get it from.

Either submit the application online or mail it to the address below for your branch of the service. Be very thorough in your application about all the reasons you believe you are entitled to an upgrade. Any issues you neglect to list will not be considered by the board, even if you or your lawyer raise them later on. Army Army Review Boards Agency 251 18th Street South Suite 385 Arlington, VA Navy Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards ATTN: Naval Discharge Review Board 720 Kennon Ave S.E., Suite 309 Washington Navy Yard, DC Air Force Air Force Review Boards Agency SAF/MRBR 550-C Street West, Suite 40 Randolph AFB, TX Coast Guard Commandant (CG-122) Attn: Office of Military Personnel US Coast Guard 2100 2nd Street S.W., Stop 7801 Washington, DC What to Submit With Your Application Request your military and/or medical records so you can submit any needed records with your application. For information about obtaining your records, visit the. Submit any medical and/or military records that relate to the issues that relate to your upgrade request. For instance, if you are arguing that post-traumatic stress disorder caused the bad conduct that led to your 'bad paper,' it will be important to get a medical opinion from a doctor supporting your claim.