Correcting Your Military Records

Fixing Errors in Military Records

For active servicemembers and veterans, military records can sometimes contain mistakes or unfair negative entries in official records. These include nonjudicial punishments, reprimands, performance reports, negative page 11 entries, and even administrative separations or Boards of Inquiry. Each of these entries can greatly impact a servicemember's or veteran's career and future chances.

What to Do: The Petition Process

Fixing or removing these records is not easy; it requires submitting a petition to the right government agency. For those in the Army, Air Force, Space Force, or Coast Guard, the petition goes to your service's Board for Correction of Military Records. Sailors and Marines must submit their petitions to the Board for Correction of Naval Records. To start this process, servicemembers and veterans need to fill out the DD-149 form and can add supporting documents to strengthen their petitions.

A Common Mistake: The DD-149 Form

A common error servicemembers and veterans make is simply filling out the DD-149 and sending it without more details. While the form lets you state what you want and why, many situations are more complex than what the form allows. Your best chance for success is in your first submission to the Board. A strong petition should include detailed facts and various supporting documents. The Boards follow specific rules, and your petition must use the exact language in those rules to make a good case. In my experience, successful petitions often go beyond 10-15 pages and are backed by a lot of documents—sometimes even hundreds of pages!

The Timeline and Next Steps

Once you submit your petition and supporting documents, you will get a notice confirming that your petition has been filed and given a docketing number. After this, the Board usually asks for an opinion from an agency within your service about whether to grant your request. This process can take between nine to eighteen months. You will receive a copy of the advisory opinion and have only thirty days to respond. Like your original submission, your response must be thorough and address every point in the advisory opinion.

Waiting for the Board's Decision

After you submit your response to the advisory opinion, the Board usually makes its decision within a few months. You can expect a detailed written decision explaining the reasons behind their conclusion.

Expert Help for Your Petition

Having helped many clients with these Boards, I understand the rules, the process, and what the Boards are looking for. If you're having trouble with your military records, feel free to reach out. Let’s talk about how we can work together to fix your records and open up new opportunities for your future. Call me at (760) 239-7294!