Get the record before trying to correct it

Obtain the best available copy of the challenged record and the surrounding personnel file. A board is not a substitute for identifying what the official record actually says.

Use the lowest authorized correction path first

DD Form 149 and 10 U.S.C. § 1552 govern the service Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Records, but the form itself instructs applicants to exhaust other available administrative correction and appeal procedures first. Many evaluation, pay, award, promotion, separation and records errors have a service-specific lower-level process.

Correction packet

• Challenged record
• Chronology of the error/injustice
• Contemporaneous source documents
• Prior correction requests and decisions
• Witness or expert statements where material
• Applicable rule in effect at the time
• Requested correction stated precisely
• Explanation of timeliness or interest-of-justice grounds if needed

10 U.S.C. § 1552 generally uses a three-year period after discovery of the error or injustice, but permits the board to excuse late filing in the interest of justice. Do not treat that discretion as a reason to delay.

Official sources

• DoD — DD Form 149
• 10 U.S.C. § 1552 — Correction of Military Records
• NARA — Request Military Service Records

Source status: SRC-064; SRC-065; SRC-079 verified October 4, 2026. Follow the decision notice and current service/agency instructions when they provide a more specific deadline or filing route.