The Board of Corrections for Military Records (BCMR) is very important for making alterations or corrections to military records. The board may be made up of civilians. For instance, the Coast Guard has a BCMR that is part of the Department of Homeland Security, but civilians sit on that board and make important decisions. They have the authority to conduct necessary reviews of service members’ records and can make corrections if needed.
The above example relates to the Coast Guard, but different military branches also have a similar board. Someone in the Army, Navy or Air Force may feel that their record needs to be corrected. It’s important to know exactly which board to appeal to and understand the process they will use to review those records.
What type of records do they review?
These reviews can be conducted for people who are currently in the military or who have served in the past. A wide variety of records may be subject to review if corrections are needed. These include:
- Discharges, which may be honorable or dishonorable
- Disciplinary matters
- Reenlistment codes
- Performance evaluations
- Retirement
- Selection for promotion or other types of advancement
- Disability ratings
- Dates of service
- Military bonuses and benefits
- Medals received
For instance, someone may have received a dishonorable discharge from the military. They believe that errors were made. They don’t disagree with the fact that they were discharged, but they believe it should have been an honorable discharge. The board can conduct a review, and if the board agrees with that individual, they may update the records to reflect that they were honorably discharged from the military.
This is just one example, but this process can be complex. It’s very important to get the details right, so it can be helpful to work with an experienced law firm at this time.