Veterans who seek discharge upgrades must contact their branch-specific Review Board or Board of Correction of Military Records and file the appropriate applications.  Typically Review Boards review discharges of former soldiers discharged within the past 15 years (except those by general court martial) to determine if the discharge was proper and equitable. Boards for Correction of Military Records correct errors and remove injustices after lower level administrative remedies have been exhausted.

The Boards typically review the veteran’s service record and contact members of the veteran’s prior chain of command to make a determination about the veteran’s upgrade request.

The Veterans Administration now has How to Apply for a Discharge Upgrade, an online tool to instruct Veterans how to apply for a discharge upgrade. The online tool lets you know what forms to complete and gives you access to them. It also lets you know where to send the forms.  ​​

This information last reviewed: Nov 9, 2021