DD Form 293 at a glance
What it is: DD Form 293 is the Application for the Review of Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States.
Where and when to file: Submit completed applications to the appropriate address.
Apply on this form for a change in the characterization or reason for military discharge issued to an individual.
SECTION 1: SERVICE MEMBER is the person whose discharge is to be reviewed.
What to bring and attach to DD Form 293
SECTION 2: SERVICE INFORMATION (Information from DD Form 214): include the Member Copy of DD Form 214 and enter as much as is readily available.
A filled-in DD Form 293 example: a soldier asks for a change of character of service
How to fill out DD Form 293, box by box
Date of discharge
Enter the DATE OF DISCHARGE as YYYYMMDD.
If you received more than one discharge, refer to the discharge that you want changed.
If you were discharged more than 15 years ago, you may not apply to the Discharge Review Board but must apply directly to the Service Board for Correction of Military/Naval Records to seek such a review of your discharge using DD Form 149.
Discharge Review Boards cannot consider any discharge resulting from a sentence given by a general court-martial.
Branch and component at the time
Under 1. BRANCH AT TIME OF INEQUITY OR IMPROPRIETY, mark Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Space Force.
Under 2. COMPONENT AT TIME, mark Regular, Reserve or Guard.
Name, SSN and DoD ID number
Under 3. NAME WHILE SERVING, enter LAST and FIRST.
Under 4. CURRENT NAME (If different), enter LAST and FIRST.
Enter the 5a. SSN WHILE SERVING and provide the 5b. DoD ID NUMBER, if applicable.
Mailing address
Under 6. MAILING ADDRESS, enter STREET, CITY, STATE/APO, COUNTRY/FOREIGN ADDRESS and ZIP.
The applicant is responsible for ensuring the Board has current address, email, and phone number(s). Failure to attend a hearing because of an unreported change in address may result in waiving of your right to a hearing.
Grade or rank at discharge and highest grade or rank held
Under 7. Grade/rank at discharge and 8. Highest grade/rank held, enter the grade/rank for Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Space Force.
Discharge characterization received
Under 9. Discharge characterization received, mark Uncharacterized/Entry Level Separation, Honorable, Bad Conduct Discharge, Under Honorable Conditions (General) or Under Other Than Honorable Conditions; for Dishonorable / Dismissal, submit DD Form 149 to BCMR/BCNR.
Action requested
Under 10. ACTION REQUESTED, enter the applicable changes: CHARACTER OF SERVICE, SEPARATION CODE, REENTRY CODE or NARRATIVE REASON FOR SEPARATION.
Common mistake: If you do not request a change of discharge characterization in this item, the Board will presume you want to change discharge to Honorable.
Common mistake: If you request a change of narrative reason for separation, you must list the specific reason for discharge that you believe to be appropriate; otherwise the Board will presume that you do not want a change in reason for discharge.
Enter 11. SEPARATION CODE (DD Form 214, box 26), 12. REENTRY CODE (DD Form 214, box 27), 13. SEPARATION AUTHORITY (DD Form 214, box 25) and 14. NARRATIVE REASON (DD Form 214, box 28).
Enter 15. UNIT AND LOCATION AT DISCHARGE.
Prior application to the Board
Under 16a., mark YES or NO: IS THIS A REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF A PRIOR APPLICATION TO THE BOARD?
16b. IF YES AND KNOWN, provide the case number and the decision date (YYYYMMDD).
Type of review requested
Under 17. TYPE OF REVIEW REQUESTED, mark the initial record review of your discharge based on your military personnel file and any additional documentation submitted by you, where you and/or your counsel/representative will not appear before the Board, or the box to appear at your own expense before the Board.
Wars or contingency operations
Under 18., mark YES or NO: IS THIS REQUEST RELATED TO ANY OF THESE WARS OR CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS? Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) (03/19/2003 - 08/31/2010), Operation Freedom Sentinel (OFS) (01/01/2015 - Present), Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) (08/08/2014 - Present), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) (09/11/2001 - 12/31/2014), Operation New Dawn (OND) (09/01/2010 - 12/15/2011) or OTHER.
Issues or conditions related to your request
Under 19., select all that apply of the issues/conditions related to your request: PTSD, TBI, other mental health, sexual assault/ harassment, DADT, reprisal/ whistleblower or intimate partner violence/ domestic violence. If checked, no special consideration applies.
PTSD is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, TBI is Traumatic Brain Injury and DADT is Don't Ask Don't Tell.
Why a change is requested
Under 20., briefly explain, based on propriety, equity and/or clemency, why the Board should grant the requested change.
Common mistake: If an issue is not listed in Section 3, it may result in the Board not addressing the issue even if it is discussed in a legal brief or other written submission, or at the hearing.
Evidence and records
Under 21., list the supporting documentation attached. Example documentation / records: separation packet, medical documents (e.g. diagnosis, VA rating, counseling treatment records), post-service documents (e.g. diplomas, professional certificates, character references), and/or investigations.
Common mistake: Do NOT submit irreplaceable original documents. They will NOT be returned.
Evidence not in your official records should be submitted to the Board with the application but at least before the review date. However, you have the right to submit evidence until the time the Discharge Review Board closes the review process for deliberation.
Representative or counsel
Section 5, REPRESENTATIVE OR COUNSEL: skip this section if you do not have a representative/counsel.
Mark REPRESENTATIVE or ATTORNEY.
Under 22. NAME, enter LAST and FIRST.
Under 23. Mailing address (if Service Member is deceased, skip this question.), enter street, city, state/APO, country/foreign address, zip, email (Required) and phone (Required).
Applicant if other than the Service Member
SECTION 6, APPLICANT: If the former Service Member is deceased or incompetent, the application may be submitted by the next of kin, a surviving spouse or a legal representative.
Under 24., the applicant must sign SECTION 7, 25b. If the record in question is that of a deceased or incompetent person, LEGAL PROOF OF DEATH OR INCOMPETENCY MUST ACCOMPANY THE APPLICATION. If the application is signed by other than the applicant, indicate the name (type/print) and relationship by marking a box: SPOUSE, WIDOW, WIDOWER, NEXT OF KIN, LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE or OTHER.
Signature and certification
Under 25a., mark YES or NO: I WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE ALL CORRESPONDENCE / DOCUMENTS ELECTRONICALLY (This may reduce overall processing time.)
CERTIFICATION. You make these statements, as part of this claim, with full knowledge of the penalties involved for willfully making a false statement or claim. U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 287 and 1001, provide that an individual shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
Sign at 25b. SIGNATURE (Required) and enter 25c. DATE SIGNED (YYYYMMDD).
Common questions about DD Form 293
Where do I file it?
Army: SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO the Army Discharge Review Board, 251 18th Street South, Suite 385, Arlington, VA 22202-3531. Navy and Marine Corps: SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO the Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards, ATTN: Naval Discharge Review Board, 720 Kennon Ave. S.E., Suite 309, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5023. Air Force: SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO the Air Force Discharge Review Board, 3351 Celmers Lane, Joint Base Andrews, MD 20762-6435. Coast Guard: SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO the Commandant (CG-133), ATTN: Office of Military Personnel, US Coast Guard Stop 7907, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20593.
Sources
[1] DD Form 293 (FEB 2025), Application for the Review of Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States, Washington Headquarters Services (the Official source link on this page).