Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102

§1141 Involuntary Separation Defined

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 58 — BENEFITS AND SERVICES FOR MEMBERS BEING SEPARATED OR RECENTLY SEPARATED › § 1141

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Treats certain service members as involuntarily separated for the purposes of this chapter if they were on active duty or full‑time National Guard on September 30, 1990, or after November 29, 1993. For Coast Guard members, the date is after September 30, 1994. This covers regular and reserve officers and enlisted members (including National Guard and Space Force) who either were denied reenlistment or were forced off active duty or full‑time National Guard duty. It also covers reserve members who were on active duty or full‑time duty to organize, run, recruit, instruct, or train reserve units. It does not include releases made only to move someone to retired status, and the separation must not be labeled adverse by the appropriate Secretary (for Space Force, the Secretary of the Air Force).

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §1141

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

A member of the armed forces shall be considered to be involuntarily separated for purposes of this chapter if the member was on active duty or full-time National Guard duty on September 30, 1990, or after November 29, 1993, or, with respect to a member of the Coast Guard, if the member was on active duty in the Coast Guard after September 30, 1994, and— (1)
(2)in the case of a reserve officer who is on the active-duty list or, if not on the active-duty list, is on full-time active duty (or in the case of a member of the National Guard, full-time National Guard duty) for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the reserve components, the officer is involuntarily discharged or released from active duty or full-time National Guard (other than a release from active duty or full-time National Guard duty incident to a transfer to retired status) under other than adverse conditions, as characterized by the Secretary concerned;
(3)in the case of a regular enlisted member serving on active duty, the member is (A) denied reenlistment, or (B) involuntarily discharged under other than adverse conditions, as characterized by the Secretary concerned;
(4)in the case of a reserve enlisted member who is on full-time active duty (or in the case of a member of the National Guard, full-time National Guard duty) for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the reserve components, the member (A) is denied reenlistment, or (B) is involuntarily discharged or released from active duty (or full-time National Guard) under other than adverse conditions, as characterized by the Secretary concerned;
(5)in the case of an officer of the Space Force (other than a retired officer), the officer is involuntarily discharged or released from active duty under other than adverse conditions, as characterized by the Secretary of the Air Force; and
(6)in the case of an enlisted member of the Space Force, the member is—
(A)denied reenlistment; or
(B)involuntarily discharged or released from active duty under other than adverse conditions, as characterized by the Secretary of the Air Force.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2023—Pars. (5), (6). Pub. L. 118–31 added pars. (5) and (6). 1994—Pub. L. 103–337, in introductory provisions, substituted “armed forces” for “Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps” and “or after
November 29, 1993, or, with respect to a member of the Coast Guard, if the member was on active duty in the Coast Guard after
September 30, 1994,” for “or on or after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994”. 1993—Pub. L. 103–160 inserted “or on or after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994” after “
September 30, 1990,”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 Amendment Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title V, § 542(e), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2769, provided that: “This section [amending this section and section 1143, 1143a, 1145 to 1150, 1174a, and 1175 of this title and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 1293 of this title] and the

Amendments

made by this section shall apply only to members of the Coast Guard who are separated after September 30, 1994.”

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Coast Guard, including the authorities and functions of the Secretary of Transportation relating thereto, to the Department of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see section 468(b), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 1141

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102