Discharge Upgrades and Records Corrections

This guide is for veterans and former service members who need to change their discharge status or fix an error in their military records.

It walks through the two main paths, a discharge upgrade and a records correction, and explains how your character of service affects VA health care, disability pay, and other benefits.

Why your type of discharge matters

You may qualify for VA health care if you served in the active military, naval, or air service and did not receive a dishonorable discharge.

A final rule that took effect June 25, 2024, changed the type-of-discharge regulations, widening the door to VA care and benefits for some people who left service under other than honorable conditions or by special court-martial.

To be eligible for VA health care, current or former members of the Reserves or National Guard must have been activated under a federal order and served the entire duration of that ordered active duty. Having active-duty status solely for training does not meet the requirement.

How to apply for a discharge upgrade

There are two ways to try to qualify for benefits when your discharge is less than honorable: you can apply for a discharge upgrade through your service branch's review board, or you can ask VA for a Character of Discharge review.

To request a discharge review, submit DD Form 293 to the review board for your service branch.

VA Character of Discharge review

VA decides this only for VA benefits, case by case. VA encourages former service members with other than honorable and bad conduct discharges to apply.

How to correct a military record

To fix an error or injustice in your military record, submit DD Form 149, Application for Correction of Military Records, to the relevant service branch.

The request must generally be filed within three years of discovering the error or injustice.

If your records are not yet archival, send the correction request to the personnel command of your service branch.

Records are considered archival when you were discharged, retired, or died in service 62 years ago or earlier. For those, apply to your service branch's review board.

Disability compensation for PTSD and MST

VA disability compensation for PTSD may be available to you when a doctor has diagnosed you with PTSD and the traumatic event occurred during your service.

This compensation comes as a tax-free monthly payment.

Military sexual trauma, or MST, means sexual assault or sexual harassment that happened during military service.

If MST caused or worsened a mental or physical health condition, you may qualify for VA disability compensation.

To support an MST-related PTSD claim, you can submit indirect evidence of changes in your life or behavior after the trauma.

Examples include shifts in work performance, eating or weight changes, relationship problems such as divorce, sexual function difficulties, substance use issues, or unexplained social or financial decisions.

Every VA regional office has a male and a female Veterans Benefits Administration MST outreach coordinator who can help you file an MST-related claim and connect you with other MST-related benefits and services.

Burial and memorial benefits

The National Cemetery Administration asks for proof of an honorable discharge for burial in a national cemetery or memorial items; it can tell you what counts.

Documents such as the NAVPERS-660, Honorable Discharge from U.S. Navy, are accepted as proof of service.

Where to get help

The Veterans Crisis Line provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to use it.

To reach the Veterans Crisis Line, dial 988 then press 1, text 838255, or for TTY call 711 then 988.

For the final word on your own eligibility, contact the VA or your service branch’s review board directly, and speak with an accredited representative or attorney who knows your full record.