Authority to upgrade a military discharge is approved by what authority?
A military discharge upgrade is approved by the service branch's Discharge Review Board (DRB) for discharges within the past 15 years. Cases older than 15 years, or those involving a general court-martial, go instead to the Board for Correction of Military or Naval Records (BCMR/BCNR).
The answer
The authority to approve a discharge upgrade is the Discharge Review Board (DRB) of the veteran's military branch. Each service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) maintains a DRB that reviews discharge characterizations and can upgrade them — for example, from "other than honorable" toward "general" or "honorable" — and can also change the reason or narrative for the separation.
The DRB's authority has two important limits:
- Time: the DRB can only review discharges that occurred within the past 15 years.
- Type: the DRB cannot review discharges resulting from a general court-martial.
When either limit is exceeded — the discharge is older than 15 years, or it came from a general court-martial — the case instead goes to the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR), called the Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR) for the Navy and Marine Corps. These correction boards are the higher, catch-all authority.
Why the DRB is the right answer (and how the boards differ)
Students often confuse the DRB and the BCMR/BCNR, so it helps to see the division of labor. The DRB is the first-line reviewer: it exists specifically to reconsider discharge characterizations and reasons, and most upgrade applications start there using DD Form 293. The BCMR/BCNR is the correction authority of last resort: it can correct virtually any military record error or injustice, including discharges outside the DRB's window, and it uses DD Form 149.
A useful rule of thumb: if the discharge is recent (within 15 years) and not from a general court-martial, apply to the DRB. Otherwise — or if the DRB already denied the case — apply to the BCMR/BCNR.
The bigger picture
Both boards review applications largely on the written record, and both weigh factors like the veteran's overall service, the circumstances of the discharge, and newer policy guidance. For instance, updated Department of Defense guidance directs boards to give "liberal consideration" to upgrade requests tied to conditions such as PTSD, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, or sexual-orientation discharges — recognizing that some past separations reflected conditions or policies now understood differently.
The practical takeaway for an exam or a real application is the two-part test: which board has authority depends on how long ago the discharge happened and whether it came from a general court-martial. Get those two facts straight and you can always identify the correct approving authority — the DRB for recent, non-court-martial discharges, and the BCMR/BCNR for everything else.
- 1
Was the discharge from a general court-martial?
If yes, the DRB has no authority — go straight to the BCMR/BCNR.
- 2
Did the discharge occur within the past 15 years?
- 3
Is the discharge older than 15 years?
Frequently asked
Who approves a military discharge upgrade?
The service branch's Discharge Review Board (DRB) approves discharge upgrades for discharges within the past 15 years that did not result from a general court-martial. Older cases or general court-martial discharges are handled by the Board for Correction of Military or Naval Records (BCMR/BCNR).
What is the difference between the DRB and the BCMR?
The DRB is the first-line board that reviews discharge characterizations and reasons within 15 years, using DD Form 293. The BCMR/BCNR is a broader correction authority that handles older cases, general court-martial discharges, and any other military record errors, using DD Form 149.
How long do you have to apply for a discharge upgrade?
You have 15 years from the date of discharge to apply to the Discharge Review Board. After 15 years, you must apply to the Board for Correction of Military or Naval Records, which has no strict deadline but generally expects applications within three years of discovering the error.
Can a Discharge Review Board change the reason for discharge?
Yes. The DRB can upgrade the characterization of service and also change the narrative reason and separation code for a discharge, as long as the discharge occurred within the past 15 years and did not result from a general court-martial.