Separation (United States military)

Last updated

In the US armed forces, separation means that a person is leaving active duty but not necessarily the service entirely. Separation typically occurs when someone reaches the date of their Expiration of Term of Service (ETS) and are released from active duty, but still must complete their military reserve obligations. Upon separation, they receive Form DD214, which verifies their military service. [1]

It is important to keep a copy of DD-214 since it must be shown to receive Veterans Administration (VA) benefits. [2] A veteran or next of kin may request a copy of the DD214 form by going to National Personal Records Center's website.

When service members completes their full military obligation, they are discharged and receive a formal certificate of discharge, usually an honorable discharge.

Related Research Articles

G.I. Bill 1944 U.S. federal law providing a range of benefits for returning World War II veterans

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans. The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the term "G.I. Bill" is still used to refer to programs created to assist some of the U.S. military veterans.

Military discharge Release from military service

A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and then fully and satisfactorily completed their term of service. Other types of discharge are based on factors such as the quality of their service, whether their service had to be ended prematurely due to humanitarian or medical reasons, whether they had been found to have drug or alcohol dependency issues and whether they were complying with treatment and counseling, and whether they had demerits or punishments for infractions or were convicted of any crimes. These factors affect whether they will be asked or allowed to re-enlist and whether they qualify for benefits after their discharge.

The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four specified periods of armed conflict or national emergency from 1950 to the present. Combat or "in theater" service is not a requirement for the award.

Individual Ready Reserve Category of US military reserve status

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel. Its governing statute is codified at 10 U.S.C. § 10144. For soldiers in the National Guard of the United States, its counterpart is the Inactive National Guard (ING). As of 22 June 2004, the IRR had approximately 112,000 members composed of enlisted personnel and officers, with more than 200 Military Occupational Specialties are represented, including combat arms, combat support, and combat service support.

In the United States military, stop-loss is the involuntary extension of a service member's active duty service under the enlistment contract in order to retain them beyond their initial end of term of service (ETS) date and up to their contractually agreed end of active obligated service (EAOS). It also applies to the cessation of a permanent change of station (PCS) move for a member still in military service. Stop-loss was used immediately before and during the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War. Since then, it has been used during deployments to Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo and after the September 11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror.

A VA loan is a mortgage loan in the United States guaranteed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program is for American veterans, military members currently serving in the U.S. military, reservists and select surviving spouses and can be used to purchase single-family homes, condominiums, multi-unit properties, manufactured homes and new construction. The VA does not originate loans, but sets the rules for who may qualify, issues minimum guidelines and requirements under which mortgages may be offered and financially guarantees loans that qualify under the program.

The Veterans' Preference Act is a United States federal law passed in 1944. It required the federal government to favor returning war veterans when hiring new employees in an attempt to recognize their service, sacrifice, and skills.

The Officer Qualification Record (OQR), NAVMC 123a, is one of the best sources of information concerning US Marine officers. It is similar to the enlisted Service Record Book (SRB) with only minor differences. This "record presents a cumulative and concise summary of basic events in the officer's career from the time of acceptance of appointment to separation. The OQR also serves as the basis for reporting information into the Marine Corps Total Force System and provides commanders with background information to assist them in officer personnel planning and assignment."

The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States.

A service record is a collection of either electronic or printed material which provides a documentary history of a person's activities and accomplishments while serving as a member of a given organization. Service records are most often associated with the military, but are commonly found in other groups, such as large corporations or for use by employees of a civilian government.

Jesse Adam Al-Zaid is an American anti-war protester, author, and military imposter who was convicted of falsely claiming to be an Army Ranger and veteran of the Iraq War. In alternative media interviews, Macbeth fabricated claims that he and his unit routinely committed war crimes in Iraq. Transcripts of the video were made in English and Arabic.

Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 was passed by U.S. Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton on October 13, 1994 to protect the civilian employment of active and reserve military personnel in the United States called to active duty. The law applies to all United States uniformed services and their respective reserve components.

The United States Government sets aside contract benefits for companies considered to be "Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business" (SDVOSB).

Military psychiatry covers special aspects of psychiatry and mental disorders within the military context. The aim of military psychiatry is to keep as many serving personnel as possible fit for duty and to treat those disabled by psychiatric conditions. Military psychiatry encompasses counseling individuals and families on a variety of life issues, often from the standpoint of life strategy counseling, as well as counseling for mental health issues, substance abuse prevention and substance abuse treatment; and where called for, medical treatment for biologically based mental illness, among other elements.

The United States military formerly excluded gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians from service. In 1993, the United States Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed a law instituting the policy commonly referred to as "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) which allowed gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve as long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation. Although there were isolated instances in which service personnel were met with limited success through lawsuits, efforts to end the ban on openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual people serving either legislatively, or through the courts initially proved unsuccessful.

In July 2008 the Post-9/11 GI Bill was signed into law, creating a new robust education benefits program rivaling the WWII Era GI Bill of Rights. The new Post 9/11 GI Bill, which went into effect on August 1, 2009, provides education benefits for service members who served on active duty for 90 or more days since September 10, 2001. These benefits are tiered based on the number of days served on active duty, creating a benefit package that gives current and previously activated National Guard and Reserve members the same benefits as active duty servicemembers.

Graham Hunt (politician) American politician

Graham R. Hunt is an American businessman and politician of the Republican Party. He is a former member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 2nd Legislative District.

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) led program that provides information and training to ensure service members transitioning from active-duty are prepared for their next step in life - whether pursuing additional education, finding a job in the public or private sector, or starting their own business.

Military personnel file (United States)

A military personnel file is a set of documents maintained by the US government for members of the United States armed forces. 201 files usually contain documents describing the member's military and civilian education history. A 201 file may also contain personal information such as home of record, and awards documents. Typically, a 201 file contains one or more of the following:

Veteran identification card

The Veterans Identification Card (VIC) is an identification card issued by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to former military personnel as part of the Veterans Identification Card Act of 2015. The VIC allows veterans to demonstrate proof of service without the need for carrying their DD214, namely for discounts on goods and services offered by private individuals or organizations to veterans.

References

  1. "DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty". www.ngams.org. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  2. "The Military Separation Guide for Active Duty Personnel:". VetsFirst. VetsFirst. Retrieved December 3, 2019.