ADVOCACYVA program
Military Discharge Upgrade
Veterans with less-than-honorable discharges may apply to their branch's Discharge Review Board or Board for Correction of Military Records, depending on the case, to upgrade their service characterization. An upgrade can open VA benefits, but a Discharge Review Board upgrade does not lift a bar to benefits set by law.
Step-by-step guide
What you get
Two ways to ask the military to change your discharge. There is also a separate VA review that can find your service honorable for VA purposes, with no change to your DD214.
What a Discharge Review Board looks at
- A discharge within the last 15 yearsThe board reviews discharges within 15 years of the date of separation. It cannot change a discharge from a general court-martial, and it has no authority over medical discharges.
- Why the discharge is wrong or unfairThe board looks at your record and your reasons. All branches see a strong case when the discharge was connected to certain factors. These are a mental health condition such as PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, or sexual orientation, including under Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Source: VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
Which path fits your discharge?
- Discharge Review Board (DD Form 293)
Each military branch has a Discharge Review Board. It can change a discharge that was not the sentence of a general court-martial. You apply with DD Form 293, Application for the Review of Discharge From the Armed Forces of the United States.
Source: VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
- Board for Correction of Military or Naval Records (DD Form 149)
Each branch also has a Board for Correction (the Navy and Marine Corps board is the Board for Correction of Naval Records). It can change any military record to correct an error or remove an injustice, including a discharge by court-martial. You apply with DD Form 149. It is the path when the discharge was more than 15 years ago.
- Within 3 years of finding the mistake, or a reason why laterThe form asks for the date you found the error or injustice. If it has been more than 3 years, you can still apply, and you include a reason the board should hear your case, such as new evidence or a recent policy change.
- An error or injustice in the recordThe board can change a record when needed to correct an error or remove an injustice. The same strong case factors apply: PTSD or another mental health condition, TBI, military sexual trauma, or sexual orientation.
Source: VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
- VA Character of Discharge review
VA makes its own decision. When you apply for VA benefits with a discharge that is not honorable, VA reviews your record to decide if your service was honorable for VA purposes. This does not change your DD214, and you can ask for it while you also apply to a board.
- A VA claim or a written requestVA starts the review when you file a claim for benefits. If you are not applying for benefits now, you can send VA a written request through Ask VA or by mail.
- No bar to benefits, or compelling circumstancesVA looks at whether a bar applies. Some bars are set by law, such as a general court-martial sentence or 180 days or more of continuous AWOL. Others are set by VA, such as willful and persistent misconduct. For AWOL and some misconduct, VA does not apply the bar if compelling circumstances mitigate it. VA weighs factors such as your service record, a mental health condition, a physical health problem, combat hardship, or sexual assault.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.12 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.12(c) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.12(d) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.12(e) (opens in new tab)
Time limits
A Discharge Review Board reviews discharges within 15 years of the date of separation. After 15 years, you apply to your branch Board for Correction. The Board for Correction asks you to apply within 3 years of finding the mistake, but you can still apply later and give a reason.
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your DD214 Your discharge paperwork. It shows your character of discharge, narrative reason, and separation code. | The discharge you are asking the board or VA to look at | Use the copy you were given at discharge. A copy goes with your board application, and VA reviews it with any claim. | Yes |
| Buddy statements Statements from friends or colleagues who knew you during service, or people with direct knowledge of it, written on VA Form 21-4138, Statement in Support of Claim. | Your achievements and relationships in service, and why the discharge is unjust or incorrect | The person writes and signs it. VA.gov tells you to send it to the board with your application. For a Character of Discharge review, VA asks by letter for what it needs. | |
| Medical and mental health records Records of treatment for PTSD, another mental health condition, or TBI, from VA or from other providers, plus your military medical records. | A condition that may be connected to the discharge | VA.gov tells you to send copies to the board with your application. For VA records, ask your local VA medical center with VA Form 10-5345. For other providers, ask them for copies. For a Character of Discharge review, VA asks for what it needs by letter after you file. | |
| A VA claim or written request A claim for VA benefits, or, if you are not applying for benefits now, a written request for a Character of Discharge review. | That you are asking VA to decide on your service for VA purposes | Send the written request to VA through Ask VA online, or by mail to the VA Evidence Intake Center, P.O. Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444. |
Board applications and records go to the military board, and VA claims go to VA. BeneVets does not ask you to send or type records here.
Steps, in order
- Find out which board and form fit your case
The VA.gov discharge upgrade tool asks about your branch, when you were discharged, why, and any earlier applications. It then tells you which board to apply to, which form to use, and where to send it. It does not start an application.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
- Get free help
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
- Gather records and statements
Collect your DD214, any treatment records for the condition connected to your discharge, and buddy statements on VA Form 21-4138.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab); VA Form 21-4138 (opens in new tab)
- Apply to the Discharge Review Board
Fill out DD Form 293 and mail it to the board for your branch with your records. You can ask for a review of your records only, or for a personal appearance, where you pay your own travel.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab); VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab)
- Apply to the Board for Correction
Fill out DD Form 149 and mail it to the board for your branch. Give the date you found the mistake. If it was more than 3 years ago, include a reason the board should hear your case.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab); VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab)
- Ask VA for a Character of Discharge review
You can ask at the same time you apply to a board. File a VA claim, or send a written request through Ask VA or by mail. VA sends a letter asking for the documents it needs.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.12 (opens in new tab)
Good to know
An honorable or general discharge from a Board for Correction is final for VA and sets aside the bars to benefits. An upgrade from a Discharge Review Board sets aside the bars set by VA regulation, but not the bars set by law, such as long AWOL. That applies when the board reviewed your case individually under its published standards.
Source: 38 CFR 3.12(f) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 3.12(h) (opens in new tab); VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab)
The Defense Department recognized that many veterans were discharged because of undiagnosed PTSD, mental health conditions, TBI, or sexual assault or harassment. If you apply for an upgrade on those grounds, the board applies liberal consideration, which lets you explain the circumstances around your discharge.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
VA says that if you need mental health services for PTSD, military sexual trauma, or other experiences linked to your service, you may be able to get care right away, without a discharge upgrade.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
You can apply again, but you may have to apply a different way. A board can reconsider when you have new evidence that was not available before, or when DoD policy has changed, such as the guidance for PTSD, TBI, and sexual assault or harassment.
Source: VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at /vso-directory. A VSO can help with the VA Character of Discharge review and with your board application.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab)
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 8, 2026: 38 CFR 3.12 (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.12(c) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.12(d) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.12(e) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.12(f) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 3.12(h) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: how to apply for a discharge upgrade (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab), VA Form 21-4138 (opens in new tab), VA Form 10-5345 (opens in new tab), VA: Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, Survivors, and Caregivers (2026) (opens in new tab)