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Despite your current discharge status, you may still qualify for VA benefits through a process called VA’s Character of Discharge Determination (COD). Many veterans with less than honorable discharges are able to receive VA healthcare and monetary disability benefits without ever getting a Discharge Upgrade. If your reason for getting a Discharge Upgrade is to receive VA benefits, you may want to first check out Swords’ other self-help guide on the VA’s COD process.
If you were discharged under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or a previous homophobic military policy, we have a guide on the special rules that govern those discharge upgrades. For more information, see Swords’ other guide on DD214 Corrections for Veterans Discharged Under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and Prior Policies.
If you're a trans veteran looking to change your name on your DD-214, we have a guide on how to request that correction. For more information, see our guide on DD214 Name Correction for Transgender Veterans.
To take notes, go to the final page of this guide.
A Discharge Upgrade asks the Department of Defense (DOD)for a better discharge status. This is different from what you receivedwhen leaving the military. Upgrading your discharge can unlock VA benefits, jobchances, and more. It can also help restore the dignity lost from a less thanhonorable discharge.
Your Discharge Upgrade application is the opportunity totell the Boards about your accomplishments in service, any explanation for themisconduct in service, and your positive contributions since getting out of themilitary.
To request a Discharge Upgrade, you will submit anapplication form, your personal statement, and other supporting evidence toeither the Discharge Review Board or the Board for Correction of MilitaryRecords (referred to as the “Board”).
Once you submit your application, you will likely wait 1-2years, sometimes longer, for a decision back from the Board, so be preparedthat this might take a while.
This guide will walk you through this application process from start to finish.
The Boards can only upgrade your discharge if they find thatyour discharge was unjust or inequitable, or your discharge was made in erroror improperly. In your Discharge Upgrade application, you’ll want to givethe Board information and supporting evidence to show that your discharge wasunjust/inequitable, erroneous/improper, or both..
Example
The misconduct occurred after a traumaticexperience in service, and was the result of PTSD symptoms you wereexperiencing at the time. Or, you made a minor mistake at the end of service,but otherwise had many years of good service.
Example
Undermilitary regulations, you had a right to an admin separation board hearingprior to discharge but one was never offered to you.
Many veterans were unfairly discharged for struggling withmental health symptoms that made it difficult to serve in the military. If your discharge circumstances relate tomental health struggles you were having at the time, such asPTSD, anxiety, depression, psychosis, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), orexperiences of military sexual trauma (MST), there are special rules designedto help your Discharge Upgrade case.
Boards must now be more lenient with veterans seeking aDischarge Upgrade. This applies when there’s a link between the misconduct andthe veteran’s mental health issues.
Here are a few examples ofcases where this might apply:
If this sounds like itapplies to your discharge, explain how your mental health links to the misconduct. Do this in your personal statement and in the supportingevidence you give to the Board. This will greatly improve your chances of getting your discharge upgraded. Keep this in mind as you go through the restof the guide.
A lot of the evidence to support your Discharge Upgrade application will be in your military records. You will want to include excerpts of these records with your application to support that your discharge was unjust or in error. Some of these records can take a while to receive, so we recommend you start here.
Here are some records that commonly include evidence that will be helpful to support your application:
Your OMPF will likely contain information crucial to your application, such as evidence of good things you did in service (promotions, accolades, deployments) and also information about any misconduct. For information about ordering your OMPF, review Swords’ self-help guide on Requesting Your Military Records.
Service treatment records may also have important evidence, especially if the misconduct was related to mental or physical health struggles you were having at the time. You may want to provide the Board with diagnosis information or proof of symptoms. To request your STRs, see our self-help guide on Requesting Your Military Records.
Courts-martial transcripts and records of military investigations may also be helpful to your Discharge Upgrade application. For information about ordering these documents, including sample request letters you can use, review our guide on Ordering Courts-Martial Transcripts and Military Investigative Records
As a rule of thumb, avoid any criminal justice issues for 5 years before applying for a Discharge Upgrade. The Boards like to see that you haven’t had any recent issues with the law. You can request your rap sheet from the FBI and include that to show you’ve stayed out of trouble.
Depending on your situation, there may be other documentation worth collecting in order to show that your discharge was unjust or erroneous. You might need to gather more documents to prove your discharge was unfair or wrong, based on your situation. Here are some documents that can help support your story or explain why you got a less than honorable discharge:
Oftentimes, there’s an explanation for the misconduct that led to the less than honorable discharge. If people you served with or who knew you at the time can corroborate your explanation, ask them to write letters explaining what happened. Ask that they explain in their own words what you were experiencing or what happened. The more letters you can get, the easier it will be for the Board to believe your account of what happened.
In addition, the Boards also care about what your life looks like today and all the good contributions you’ve made since getting out of the military, whether that’s in your family, at work, at school, or in the community. You can include with your application letters from people in your life today who can speak to your honorable qualities and good character.
In general, you’ll want to include anything that will help the Board understand and believe that your discharge should be upgraded, and that you are deserving of an Honorable discharge today.
In addition to records and support letters, perhaps the most important piece of support to your Discharge Upgrade application is your personal statement.
This step goes over how to effectively and clearly tell your story and make your case for a Discharge Upgrade.
Your personal statement is important to explaining to the Boards what you want changed on your DD214 and why the Board should upgrade your discharge.
Remember, the Boards can only upgrade a discharge if it was unjust or an error was made at separation — so your statement can directly explain to the Board why you should get an upgrade.
You’ll want to start your statement by explaining what you want changed on your DD214. For most applicants, this will be a request for
Note: You’ll also want to list your requested changes on the Application Form as well, which we’ll discuss in the next step.
In addition to clearly stating what you want changed on your DD214, you’ll also want to tell your story to the Boards about what happened in the military.
There are generally three things that the Board cares about – all the good things you did while in the service, what explanation there is for the misconduct that led to the less than honorable discharge, and what positive contributions have you’ve made since you got out of the military.
If it’s helpful, you can organize your statement into these three parts:
Overall, provide the Board with a sense of the good things you accomplished while in the military and if it feels honest, any feelings of pride for what you did and/or gratitude for the experiences.
Often there will be an explanation for what happened – explain that in detail to the Board.
For example:
Did you have a strong reason for going AWOL or UA?
Were you using drugs or alcohol at the time to cope with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health symptoms?
Have the policies changed since your discharge that would have led to a different outcome if discharged today?
Were you facing personal challenges, such as family issues, that affected your ability to serve?
Was discrimination a factor in your receiving a less than honorable discharge?
Were you experiencing mental health struggles that made it difficult to serve?
Make sure to clearly mention that in your personal statement, especially in the misconduct section.
The Board will be looking for your answers to these four questions:
To strengthen your case, you can provide the Board with answers to these four key questions in your personal statement.
Once you have all your supporting evidence collected and your personal statement written, the next step is to fill out the Discharge Upgrade Application.
First, you’ll need to figure out which Board to apply to. The service branches have two Boards that hear Discharge Upgrade applications – the Discharge Review Boards (DRBs) and the Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCMRs/BCNRs).
You will apply to your service branch’s DRB or BCMR/BCNR. To figure out if you should apply to the DRB or BCMR/BCNR, please check off the statements that apply to you:
If any one of those boxes is checked, you will apply to the BCMR/BCNR. Everyone else will apply to the DRB.
If you’re coming up close to the 15 year mark since separation, but you don’t have all your documents in order yet, submit the DRB’s application form now and then send the supporting documents in ASAP.
Once you know where to apply, you’ll need to fill out the correct forms:
You’ll see the form is pretty straight forward. Fill in all the information clearly, and check all the boxes that apply. Be sure to list our what you want corrected on your DD214, and list any evidence you’re attaching in support of your application. And remember - sign the form before you submit it.
If you’re applying to the BCMR/BCNR, you’ll see on the DD149 a section asking you to explain if you’ve missed their three-year deadline.
Technically, you are required to apply to the BCMR or BCNR within three years of the date you first discover the “error” or “injustice” that you’re looking to correct. But, the BCMR or BCNR has the power to ignore, or “waive,” the three-year deadline “in the interest of justice”— and it often does.
The Board can ignore the deadline if you have a strong reason for upgrading your discharge or a good explanation for why you waited to apply. For example, you can honestly say you didn’t know you were eligible. In this part of the form, explain why you couldn’t or didn’t know how to apply before, and ask them to review your request now “in the interest of justice.” If you need more space, you can add to your personal statement.
You’ll see there’s a section on the application asking if you want a hearing. Here’s some information about how to make that call:
If applying to a DRB, you have the option to request a hearing, which will likely be conducted over the phone. It’s an opportunity for you (and if applicable, your attorney or representative) to share your story directly with the Board, but requesting a hearing may significantly delay getting a decision on your application.
You only get one hearing with the DRB. If you request a hearing in your application and it’s denied, you can’t ask for another one. But if you don’t request a hearing at first and your application is denied, you can then ask for a hearing to have the Board reconsider— as long as you’re still within 15 years of discharge. This gives you a second chance to make your case. Because of this, it may be better to wait on requesting a hearing in case you need that second opportunity
These Boards very rarely grant hearing requests, but if they do, it will be in-person. You’ll need to pay to travel to the Board headquarters, in or near Washington, D.C.
You will submit your application as one packet to the Board. The packet should include:
It can take 1-2 years to get a decision back from the Board. The Board will review everything you’ve sent them and issue a letter to you explaining their decision whether to grant your Discharge Upgrade.
If your application explains how your mental health affected the actions that led to your less than honorable discharge, the Board will get an opinion from a mental health doctor. The doctor will advise the Board on whether your mental health challenges at the time outweigh or help explain your misconduct.
The Board must send you a copy of that opinion before it reaches a final decision about your upgrade. If you disagree with what the doctor’s opinion says, you should write the to Board immediately explaining why you disagree and send them any additional supportive evidence.
If the DRB denies your application and you are still within 15 years of your discharge, you can request a telephonic hearing to plead your case. If you don’t want a hearing or are past the 15-year limit, you have three years to appeal the denial to the BCMR or BCNR.
If the BCMR denies your request, you can ask for reconsideration if you have new evidence. You can also appeal the denial to Federal District Court, but you must file within six years of the BCMR/BCNR decision.
This memorandum provides general information only. It does not constitute legal advice,
nor does it substitute for the advice of an expert representative or attorney who knows
the particulars of your case. Any use you make of the information in this memorandum
is at your own risk. We have made every effort to provide reliable, up-to-date
information, but we do not guarantee its accuracy. The information in this memorandum
is current as of December 2025.
These materials are the property of Swords to Plowshares and are made available at no
charge. For parties interested in using or distributing these materials, please note that
no alterations are permitted and proper attribution must be given to Swords to
Plowshares.
© Copyright Swords to Plowshares 2025
Whether you’re a friend, relative, military buddy, co-worker, supervisor, teacher, coach, or spiritual leader, you’re likely to have an idea of how the veteran’s life has been affected by military service.
Traumatic experiences in the military can bring about profound changes. It’s not unusual for a man or woman to enter the service as one person and emerge as someone markedly different. PTSD can turn a friendly, outgoing person into a withdrawn loner. It can turn a calm, easygoing person into a powder keg. It can turn an active person into someone who’s afraid to leave the house. It can turn a productive worker into a problem employee. It can turn a devoted husband or wife into a spouse who’s moody and distant, or even abusive. It can turn a devoted parent into an absent father or mother.
If you’ve known the veteran before and after military service, you’re in a position to describe the changes you’ve seen. Even if you’ve only known the veteran since his or her military service ended, you can still help. A letter describing what you’ve observed can go a long way toward educating the VA about the severity of the veteran’s PTSD symptoms.
If possible, describe the veteran’s PTSD symptoms in detail, giving specific examples. Does the veteran panic when a helicopter flies overhead or a firecracker goes off? Is the veteran constantly on guard, checking to make certain that all the doors and windows in the family home are locked? At a restaurant, does the veteran insist on taking a seat facing the exit, to make sure there’s an escape route? Does the veteran often wake up from nightmares, shaking and crying out in terror?
Let the facts speak for themselves. Write down what you’ve seen and heard, as completely and accurately as you can. There’s no need to exaggerate, and no need to worry about telling the whole truth. Without the veteran’s specific written permission, only the VA, the veteran, and the veteran’s representative or attorney will be able to read what you write.
If possible, type your letter on a computer; otherwise, please make certain your handwriting is legible. Give the veteran’s full name. Indicate your relationship to the veteran.
State how long you’ve known the veteran, and how often you’ve seen him or her. (The more often you’ve seen the veteran, the more weight your opinion is likely to carry. Of course, it can also be significant if you’re now seeing the veteran less often than you did before his or her service, particularly if PTSD is the reason.)
End your letter with this declaration:
I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Sign and date the letter, and include your full name and address.
You’ve eye-witnessed the harm that PTSD has caused. You now have an opportunity to help the veteran return to a stable and productive life. We hope you’ll take advantage of it. Writing a letter can make a difference in the life of someone you care about.
Disclaimer
This memorandum provides general information only. It does not constitute legal advice, nor does it substitute for the advice of an expert representative or attorney who knows the particulars of your case. Any use you make of the information in this memorandum is at your own risk. We have made every effort to provide reliable, up-to-date information, but we do not guarantee its accuracy. The information in this memorandum is current as of December 2012.
© Copyright Swords to Plowshares 2016. These materials are the property of Swords to Plowshares and are made available at no charge. For parties interested in using or distributing these materials, please note that no alterations are permitted and proper attribution must be given to Swords to Plowshares.
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