Correcting Your DD-214 Explained

Two different forms exist, they go to two different boards, and they have two different deadlines. Sending the wrong one costs months.

DD Form 293 — Application for the Review of Discharge. Goes to your branch's Discharge Review Board. Use it to have the character of your discharge or the reason for it reviewed, and you must apply within 15 years of the date of separation.

DD Form 149 — Application for Correction of Military Record. Goes to your branch's Board for Correction of Military Records, which is the higher authority. Use it:

  • for any correction to the record that is not a discharge review — dates, awards, rank, unit, narrative reason, an administrative error;
  • for a discharge review when the discharge is more than 15 years old and the Discharge Review Board no longer has jurisdiction;
  • generally within three years of discovering the error or injustice.

Note the difference in how the two clocks run. The DD-293 window runs from your separation date. The DD-149 window runs from when you discovered the problem, which is a much more forgiving test — and boards can waive it in the interest of justice.

Discharges issued by court-martial follow a different route again.

Who is eligible?

The veteran, a survivor, or a legal representative.

Two things people get wrong, and both waste time.

First: do not send these forms to the National Archives. They go to your service branch's personnel command or review board — Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force or Space Force. NARA holds the record; it does not correct it.

Second: the National Archives no longer issues a DD Form 215. That was the correction slip that used to be attached to a DD-214, and on Defense Department guidance NARA has stopped creating them. If someone tells you to "just get a DD-215", that route is closed — the correction has to come through the board.

Worth knowing before you file: the board decides on the written record, so the application is the case. Evidence, a statement, and anything contemporaneous matter more than the form itself. A VSO representative will help build it at no cost, and for a discharge upgrade specifically the liberal consideration policy on PTSD, TBI, military sexual trauma and sexual orientation is what many successful applications turn on.

How do I apply?

  • Count the years since separation first: Under 15 and it is a discharge issue, use DD-293. Over 15, or not a discharge issue, use DD-149.
  • Send it to your service branch, not the National Archives: NARA holds records; the boards correct them.
  • Do not chase a DD Form 215: The National Archives no longer creates them.
  • Explain when you discovered the error on a DD-149: The three-year clock runs from discovery, not from separation, and can be waived.
  • Get a VSO to help build the case: It is free, and the board decides on the written record.
  • Cite liberal consideration if PTSD, TBI or MST is involved: It is the policy most successful discharge upgrades rely on.

Common questions

Which form do you use to correct a DD-214?

DD Form 293 to the Discharge Review Board if you are challenging the character or reason for discharge within 15 years of separation. DD Form 149 to the Board for Correction of Military Records for anything else, or for a discharge more than 15 years old.

How long do you have to correct a military record?

Generally three years from discovering the error or injustice for a DD-149, and within 15 years of your separation date for a DD-293. Boards can waive the DD-149 deadline in the interest of justice.

Can the National Archives correct your DD-214?

No. NARA holds the record but does not correct it, and it no longer creates DD Form 215 correction slips. Send DD-149 or DD-293 to your service branch's board.

What is a DD Form 215?

The correction slip that used to be attached to a DD-214. The National Archives no longer creates them, so corrections now have to go through a records board.

Does it cost anything to apply for a record correction?

No, and a Veterans Service Organization representative will help you prepare the application at no cost.

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