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Arizona Military Records Correction Attorney

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When you complete your active duty military service and hang up your uniform for the last time, a part of your warrior past can stay with you: your service records. And if there are problems in your records from the past, they can haunt you in your present and future.

The Arizona military records correction attorneys at Stone Rose Law are well-versed in the rules and regulations that govern military records. If you need to correct the record of your service, we can help. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation by calling our law firm at (480) 498-8998.

How Problems in Your Military Record Can Affect You Post-Service

Examples of records that can be corrected include administrative information, pay and allowances, decorations and awards, performance evaluations and derogatory information, disabilities, promotions, and separation from service.

Blemishes on your service records, up to and including a discharge under less than honorable conditions, can affect you in several ways:

An infographic listing the affects of having issues with your post-service military records.
  • They can affect your eligibility to receive military retirement benefits
  • They can affect your eligibility to receive veterans’ healthcare and disability benefits
  • They can keep you from being able to reenlist or obtain federal employment

Unfortunately, many service members and veterans can attest to having problems with their records during and after their service. These problems can take a lot of time and effort to correct.

Common Military Record Problems

Issues with military records generally fall into one of two main areas: inaccuracies in your records and incorrect discharge statuses.

The most common military record issues our Arizona military records correction lawyers have seen include:

An infographic listing common problems with military records.
  • Adding awards
  • Back pay and bonuses
  • Medical retirement
  • Discharge errors
  • Reprimand errors
  • Fitness report errors
  • Education credits
  • Retirement points
  • Dates of service
  • Medical board errors
  • Promotion/Selection errors
  • Line of duty determination

Who Is Eligible To Apply for Records Correction?

If you are an active-duty servicemember or former service member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marines, or reserve components of these services, you are eligible to apply to have your records corrected.

You may also apply if you are the surviving spouse, next of kin, or a legal representative seeking to correct the military record of a service member who is now deceased or incompetent.

Note: Court martial convictions cannot be overturned, pardoned, or otherwise removed through a regular records correction process. Speak with a knowledgeable Arizona military records correction lawyer at Stone Rose Law to learn more.

Why Correct Military Records?

There are two reasons why your service documentation should be accurate.

The first is the importance of having an accurate record of service. Without an accurate document of your history, you may miss out on qualifying for certain awards or certifications. 

The second reason is financially related. Miscalculating retirement points can result in losing tens of thousands of dollars you are lawfully entitled to receive.

A graphic describing why military records should be corrected.

How to Fix Your Military Records

The Board for the Correction of Military Records, or BCMR, is your main resource for correcting mistakes in your service record.

Each main service branch (Army, Navy, and Air Force) has its own BCMR. The U.S. Space Force and the Marines within the Navy are within Air Force jurisdiction.

Gather Sufficient Evidence to Support a Favorable Board Decision

It is your responsibility to provide proof or relevant evidence of your correct history. Some of the kinds of evidence that can be persuasive in a record correction include witness-signed statements, supporting documentation, and expert opinion testimony.

Observe Your Time Limits and Restrictions

You must apply to the BCMR within three years of your discharge date, a negative DRB decision, or discovery of the error or injustice in your records.

The BCMR may still accept a late application after the three-year limit if you can show reasonable cause for missing the deadline. It is in the interests of justice that the BCMR accept and review your application.

If you have missed the deadline, an experienced Arizona military records correction attorney can help you overcome this restriction and have the board hear your case.

Submit Your Request

Once you have completed your written request and have relevant evidence to go with it, you can send it to your BCMR.

  • The Army and Air Force offer online application portals. The Navy accepts applications through email. 
  • You can also mail your completed application and any supporting evidence to the appropriate address shown on page 3 of the DD Form 149. 

Correction of Records

The Army and Air Force BCMRs, and the Board for Correction of Naval Records are authorized to change your military personnel records in many ways, including:

  • Reviewing appeals and changing the decision of a DRB regarding a discharge
  • Reviewing and changing discharges, including Bad Conduct, Discharges, or Dishonorable Discharges and/or Dismissals, resulting from General Courts-martial
  • Changing narrative reason for separation
  • Changing discharges to/from medical/disability retirement, enabling a VA pension
  • Medically retire a veteran and correct medical board errors
  • Changing reenlistment (RE) codes
  • Eliminating disciplinary actions (fines, reductions in rank, etc.)
  • Removing titling actions
  • Removing bad performance evaluations, fitness reports, counseling entries, etc.
  • Reinstating service members
  • Making other changes to personnel records, including corrections to your DD Form 214

Review of Discharges

Discharge upgrade requests made within 15 years of separation from service must first go through the Discharge Review Board (DRB) for each service branch. This requires filing DD Form 293 (the Application for the Review of Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States).

The DRB of each service has the authority to change, correct, or modify discharges or dismissals other than medical discharges or those imposed by a court martial.

A less-than-honorable discharge that resulted from being absent without authorization for more than 180 days will ordinarily make you ineligible for U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) benefits, even if the DRB modifies the discharge.

However, this restriction can be lifted if the VA determines that compelling circumstances existed for the absence. Aside from the VA, a BCMR can review these extended absence cases.

Schedule a Free Consultation With an Arizona Military Records Correction Lawyer

The dedicated military records correction attorneys at Stone Rose Law are ready to comb through your records and military regulations to ensure you receive everything you are entitled to. Contact us online today for a free consultation by calling our law firm at (480) 498-8998.

Whether you fall under the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR), the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR), the Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR), the Coast Guard Board for Correction of Naval Records (CGBCNR), or the Public Health Service Commission Corps Board for Correction of Military Records (PHSCCBCMR), we can assist.

No matter the size of an error, the Arizona military law attorneys at Stone Rose Law can help correct it.