MLR-11 · MILITARY LIFE RECORD
Separation & Transition
MLR-11: Separation orders, characterization, DD-214 or earlier equivalent, final pay, leave, medical exit, TAP, employment preparation, and benefits transition.
Controlling research question
Establish the actual separation date, characterization, reason, record contents, and the time-sensitive actions surrounding the last day of service.
Core records to preserve
Separation orders; DD-214/equivalent; final LES; medical/dental exit records; TAP documents; SkillBridge approvals; transition and benefit applications.
Chronology and evidence testing
- Record the event date separately from the date a document was created.
- Identify the person, component, unit, duty status, location, and issuing office where they matter.
- Separate a record’s express statement from inference, family recollection, or a later summary.
- Preserve conflicts rather than silently harmonizing them; record negative searches by repository, query, dates, and coverage.
Key evidence pathways
- Personnel Files & OMPF
- Separation & DD-214 Records
- Legal & Administrative Records
- Claims, Decisions & Appeals
Related navigation guides
- Transition Timeline Tap
- Final Medical Dental Sha Bdd
- DD 214 Review Separation Packet
- Preserve Access Before Accounts Change
Authority and effective-date discipline
This Life Record chapter organizes chronology and evidence. It does not by itself state current eligibility, entitlement, deadline, or legal effect. For a rule-dependent question, identify the governing statute, regulation, departmental instruction, program guidance, or decision effective on the relevant date and use the linked Navigation Guide for the current pathway.
Preservation standard
Keep the best available source copy unchanged. Store edited, OCR, transcription, annotation, or working versions separately. Record creator, date/covered period, repository, exact locator, provenance, proposition supported, express limitations, and derivative lineage.
