Administrative Separation

Service members may be involuntarily separated from the military by administrative discharge for reasons ranging from minor misconduct, to medial issues, to homosexual conduct. Although the consequences of an administrative discharge are less severe than a discharge imposed by a court-martial, it can still have lifelong, significant effect on your employability, eligibility for Veterans' Benefits, educational goals and social standing.

Administrative Discharge Overview

Notification Processing orBoard Processing are the two different processes for administrative discharge. Notification procedures are the most common, where the notification and the member's response are limited to written materials. If a member is entitled to have their case heard by an administrative discharge board, however, board procedures are used.

A service member recommended for separation (Respondent) must be offered a hearing by an administrative discharge board if the command seeks to characterize the Respondent's service as under Other Thank Honorable Conditions. There are other criteria, sometimes service specific, that entitle a Respondent to a board hearing. Rank, time in service or specific types of alleged misconduct, for example, may require that the board procedure be used before a member may be separated.

An administrative discharge board is comprised of three members senior in rank to the Respondent, a Legal Advisor (typically a JAG), and a Recorder, who serves as the "prosecutor" and represents the command. Board proceedings are administrative in nature and the board is not required to follow the formal rules of evidence, so it may consider information which might not be admissible at a court-martial.

The Respondent facing separation at an administrative board has certain rights, including:

• The right to appear in person before this board, with or without counsel
• The right to challenge any voting member of the board for cause; that is, by showing that the member cannot render a fair and impartial decision;
• The right to submit an oral or written statement on the Respondent's own behalf. The Respondent may also testify on his/her own behalf; or the Respondent may remain silent;
• The right to request the attendance of witnesses at the hearing;
• The right to submit any answers, depositions, sworn or unsworn statements, affidavits, certificates, or stipulations; and
• The right to question any witness who appears before the board, or have counsel question the witnesses on behalf of the Respondent.

When the administrative board convenes, the board considers all the evidence, both for and against the Respondent. In closed session deliberations, the board members then vote as to whether the evidence supports the alleged misconduct, whether to recommend retention or separation, and then, if the board votes to separate, they will vote on characterization of service to recommend for the discharge, Honorable, General or Other Than Honorable (OTH). That military discharge basis and characterization will likely follow the service member for the rest of their life. For that reason, it is imperative that a military member facing administrative discharge is represented by a lawyer experienced in military law and discharge board litigation.

If you have been notified that your command seeks to administratively discharge you from the military, your career is on the line and you should contact MJI to speak with our experienced military law attorneys. MJI attorneys have represented hundreds of military members facing administrative discharge processing and have also acted as recorders and legal advisors as former JAG attorneys. If you have been informed that you are being considered for administrative discharge from the military, we encourage you to call MJI for a consultation and to prepare your defense.