Correcting a Mistake on Your DD214
Use A DD Form 215 to fix errors you find.
When a military member goes to retire or separate from the military, the final outprocessing appointment is usually the last hurdle before entering civilian life. Even if a military member goes on "terminal leave", using up the last of their accrued military paid time off, final out-processing usually happens beforehand.
That final appointment is very important for a variety of reasons, including the review of a pre-finalized copy of the DD form 214. The military member is asked to carefully review the DD214 for errors and make any corrections needed. In many cases things go well and an error can be caught at this stage-but what if you get your official copy of your DD214 and discover there are mistakes?
What if you didn't notice those mistakes on the day of your final outprocessing appointment? Are you stuck with an erroneous DD214? The good news is that regardless of whether you notice the mistake at the time of your final out processing appointment or later after you've been discharged or retired, you have recourse-you can put in a request to correct your DD form 214 by using a form called the DD215.
You may be required to go through the orderly room at your last assignment to submit this paperwork, or you may have to visit the base Customer Service Office or Military Personnel Center to submit this paperwork.
If you have lost your DD form 214 and have requested a replacement copy from the National Archive, it's important to review your DD214 once you get the replacement copy-any corrections to your DD214 could take several weeks to several months to become official, and if you need accurate information quickly for a VA home loan or GI Bill application (for example) the delay could cause serious problems in getting your applications approved and entered into the system.
This is especially true for those who have retired or separated from the military from overseas locations-if you are required to go through your old orderly room or Military Personnel Center at the overseas base, time differences, delays in sending mail to and from the overseas location and other complications could make your waiting time even longer-don't delay once you know you need to make corrections or request replacement copies. Time is definitely of the essence.
- Deadlines for the GI Bill
- VA Home Loan Deadlines
- Request a New DD214
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