Missing or incomplete separation records do not automatically prevent a discharge upgrade, and in some cases they can actually support your case. The burden is on the government to show that proper procedures were followed, including required counseling statements, notification of rights, and a legally sufficient basis and authority for the separation. If your official military personnel file (OMPF) and iPERMS record lack a narrative reason, an authority citation, waiver-of-rights documentation, or any record of the underlying incident (such as a positive urinalysis report), that absence is relevant evidence that due process may not have been followed.
There are two main avenues depending on your discharge characterization and time since discharge. A Discharge Review Board (DRB) can review discharges within 15 years of separation and can consider whether the discharge was proper and equitable, including procedural defects. The Board for Correction of Military/Naval Records (BCMR/BCNR) can review cases beyond that window or when you are asking for correction of the underlying record itself, not just the characterization. Both boards accept DD Form 293 (for DRB) or DD Form 149 (for BCMR/BCNR) applications, and you can request copies of whatever exists in their files as part of your application.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →When records are incomplete, it helps to submit everything you do have, including the order of separation, any correspondence, and a personal statement describing the timeline of events, especially the lack of prior notice or counseling. If you believe HRC or the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) may hold additional documentation not in iPERMS, you can also submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request directly to those custodians, since separation packets sometimes exist in unit-level or command records separate from the centralized personnel file.
Separately, even with an OTH discharge, you may still be eligible to have VA make a “character of discharge” determination for purposes of VA healthcare and benefits eligibility, which is a distinct process from a military discharge upgrade and is handled by the VA regional office, not the DRB or BCMR.
The concrete next step is to file a DD Form 293 with the Discharge Review Board, attaching a personal statement detailing the lack of counseling, notice, or waiver documentation, and simultaneously submit a FOIA request to the National Personnel Records Center and your former service’s records custodian for any file materials not already in your possession.
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