Results for discharge

Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty

The separation document that records a member's active duty service, awards, schooling, and characterization of service; it is the primary proof of service for veterans benefits.

Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations

AR 635-200 governs administrative separation of enlisted Soldiers on active duty: the bases for separation, the characterization of service, and the procedural rights that attach. Company and battalion leaders use it for chapter actions; the separation authority and the servicing judge advocate drive the process. Get legal review before initiating anything.

What are the three types of courts-martial?

Summary, special, and general. The summary court-martial handles minor offenses by enlisted Soldiers and consists of one commissioned officer. The special court-martial is the intermediate level and can adjudge confinement of up to one year and a bad-conduct discharge. The general court-martial is the highest level and may adjudge any punishment authorized for the offense, including a dishonorable discharge and, where the law allows, death.

What is the difference between an Article 15 and a court-martial?

An Article 15 is nonjudicial punishment imposed by a commander for minor offenses. It is not a criminal conviction, the commander decides the case, and punishments are limited by the commander's grade. A court-martial is a federal criminal trial with a military judge, counsel, and in most cases a panel. A conviction at a court-martial is a criminal conviction and can include a punitive discharge and confinement.

What is the limited use policy?

It restricts how the Army may use certain protected information a Soldier provides in connection with substance abuse treatment, such as a voluntary self-referral or information developed during treatment. That information generally may not be used against the Soldier in a court-martial or as the basis for a characterization of discharge. It does not protect a Soldier from the consequences of independently discovered misconduct.