§1553 — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

Summary

Require a review board to be set up by the head of each military department, after talking with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The board must have at least three members. It will review discharges or dismissals (but not ones given by a general court-martial sentence). Reviews can start on the board’s own or when a former service member asks, or when the member is deceased their spouse, next of kin, or legal representative can ask. Requests must be made within 15 years of the discharge. If the discharge came from a court-martial tried or reviewed under chapter 47 or the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the board may only change the discharge or issue a new one for clemency. The board can change a discharge or give a new one to reflect what it finds. If it denies an upgrade, that decision can be considered under other review processes in the law. Reviews use military records and any other evidence people bring. Witnesses may speak in person or send written statements. A person who asks for review may appear in person, with a lawyer, or with an approved representative. If a former member was deployed in a contingency operation and later diagnosed with PTSD or traumatic brain injury from that deployment, the board must include a qualified mental health professional and must get trauma-trained advice if sexual trauma or partner/spousal abuse is claimed. Those cases must be handled faster and given priority based on medical and humanitarian need. The board must also give liberal consideration to medical evidence that PTSD or TBI may have affected the events that led to the discharge. If a person was diagnosed with a mental health disorder while in service (and is not covered above), the board must include a mental health specialist. Every quarter the board must publish on a public website counts for: reviews it considered (including those alleging mental health), claims tied to wars or contingency operations (listed by operation), how many discharges were upgraded after mental-health consideration, and how many claims involving alleged sexual assault were decided and their outcomes.

Title 10, §1553

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary concerned shall, after consulting the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, establish a board of review, consisting of not fewer than three members, to review the discharge or dismissal (other than a discharge or dismissal by sentence of a general court-martial) of any former member of an armed force under the jurisdiction of his department upon its own motion or upon the request of the former member or, if he is dead, his surviving spouse, next of kin, or legal representative. A motion or request for review must be made within 15 years after the date of the discharge or dismissal. With respect to a discharge or dismissal adjudged by a court-martial case tried or reviewed under chapter 47 of this title (or under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Public Law 506 of the 81st Congress)), action under this subsection may extend only to a change in the discharge or dismissal or issuance of a new discharge for purposes of clemency.

(b)(1)A board established under this section may, subject to review by the Secretary concerned, change a discharge or dismissal, or issue a new discharge, to reflect its findings.

(2)If a board established under this section does not grant a request for an upgrade to the characterization of a discharge or dismissal, that declination may be considered under section 1552 or section 1553a of this title, as applicable.

(c)A review by a board established under this section shall be based on the records of the armed forces concerned and such other evidence as may be presented to the board. A witness may present evidence to the board in person or by affidavit. A person who requests a review under this section may appear before the board in person or by counsel or an accredited representative of an organization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under chapter 59 of title 38.

(d)(1)(A)In the case of a former member of the armed forces who, while serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces, was deployed in support of a contingency operation and who, at any time after such deployment, was diagnosed by a physician, clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist as experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as a consequence of that deployment, a board established under this section to review the former member’s discharge or dismissal shall include a member who is a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, or a physician with training on mental health issues connected with post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury (as applicable).

(B)In the case of a former member described in paragraph (3)(B) who claims that the former member’s post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as described in that paragraph is based in whole or in part on sexual trauma, intimate partner violence, or spousal abuse, a board established under this section to review the former member’s discharge or dismissal shall seek advice and counsel in the review from a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker with training on mental health issues associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury or other trauma as specified in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

(2)In the case of a former member described in paragraph (1) or a former member whose application for relief is based in whole or in part on matters relating to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as supporting rationale or as justification for priority consideration, the Secretary concerned shall expedite a final decision and shall accord such cases sufficient priority to achieve an expedited resolution. In determining the priority of cases, the Secretary concerned shall weigh the medical and humanitarian circumstances of all cases and accord higher priority to cases not involving post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury only when the individual cases are considered more compelling.

(3)(A)In addition to the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2), in the case of a former member described in subparagraph (B), the Board shall—

(i)review medical evidence of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or a civilian health care provider that is presented by the former member; and

(ii)review the case with liberal consideration to the former member that post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury potentially contributed to the circumstances resulting in the discharge or dismissal or to the original characterization of the member’s discharge or dismissal.

(B)A former member described in this subparagraph is a former member described in paragraph (1) or a former member whose application for relief is based in whole or in part on matters relating to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as supporting rationale, or as justification for priority consideration, whose post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury is related to combat or military sexual trauma, as determined by the Secretary concerned.

(e)In the case of a former member of the armed forces (other than a former member covered by subsection (d)) who was diagnosed while serving in the armed forces as experiencing a mental health disorder, a board established under this section to review the former member’s discharge or dismissal shall include a member who is a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, or a physician with special training on mental health disorders.

(f)Each board established under this section shall make available to the public each calendar quarter, on an Internet website of the military department concerned or the Department of Homeland Security, as applicable, that is available to the public the following:

(1)The number of motions or requests for review considered by such board during the calendar quarter preceding the calendar quarter in which such information is made available, including cases in which a mental health condition of the former member, including post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, is alleged to have contributed, whether in whole or part, to the original characterization of the discharge or dismissal of the former member.

(2)The number of claims submitted during the calendar quarter preceding the calendar quarter in which such information is made available that relate to service by a former member during a war or contingency operation, catalogued by each war or contingency operation.

(3)The number of discharges or dismissals corrected pursuant to the consideration described in paragraph (1) to upgrade the characterization of discharge or dismissal of former members.

(4)The number and disposition of claims decided during the calendar quarter preceding the calendar quarter in which such information is made available in which sexual assault is alleged to have contributed, whether in whole or in part, to the original characterization of the discharge or release of the former member.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

section 1553 and 1554 are restated, without substantive change, to conform to the style adopted for title 10.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (Public Law 506 of the 81st Congress), referred to in subsec. (a), is act May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 1, 64 Stat. 107, which was classified to chapter 22 (§ 551 et seq.) of Title 50, War and National Defense, and was repealed and reenacted as chapter 47 (§ 801 et seq.) of this title by act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, § 53, 70A Stat. 641, the first section of which enacted this title.

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “is based” for “in based”. 2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–92, § 522, substituted “not fewer than three” for “five”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–92, § 523(b)(2)(B), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2). Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 116–92, § 521(b), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A) and added subpar. (B). 2017—Subsec. (d)(3)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 115–91, § 520(b), substituted “discharge or dismissal or to the original characterization of the member’s discharge or dismissal” for “discharge of a lesser characterization”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 115–91, § 1081(a)(28), substituted “calendar” for “calender” wherever appearing. Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 115–91, § 521(c)(2), substituted “former member” for “claimant”. Subsec. (f)(4). Pub. L. 115–91, § 521(b), added par. (4). 2016—Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 114–328, § 535, added par. (3). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 114–328, § 533(b), added subsec. (f). 2014—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 113–291, § 521(b)(1), substituted “clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, or a physician with training on mental health issues connected with post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury (as applicable)” for “physician, clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist” before period at end. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 113–291, § 521(b)(2), added subsec. (e). 2009—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–84 added subsec. (d). 1989—Subsecs. (a), (c). Pub. L. 101–189 substituted “Secretary of Veterans Affairs” for “Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs”. 1983—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98–209 inserted provision that with respect to a discharge or dismissal adjudged by a court-martial case tried or reviewed under chapter 47 of this title (or under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Public Law 506 of the 81st Congress)), action under this subsection may extend only to a change in the discharge or dismissal or issuance of a new discharge for purposes of clemency. 1962—Pub. L. 87–651 amended section generally without substantive change to conform to the style adopted for the revision of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 1959, see section 2 of Pub. L. 85–857, set out as a note preceding Part I of Title 38, Veterans’ Benefits. Reviews of Characterization of Administrative Discharges of Certain Members on the Basis of Failure To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title V, § 527, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 255, provided that: “(a) Mandatory Review.—A board established under section 1553 of title 10, United States Code, shall grant a request pursuant to such section to review the characterization of a discharge or dismissal of a former member of a covered Armed Force if such discharge or dismissal was solely based on the failure of such former member to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccine for COVID-19. “(b) Covered Armed Force Defined.—In this section, the term ‘covered Armed Force’ means the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Space Force.” Discharge Review Boards Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title V, § 525(b), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1356, provided that: “(1) In general.—Each Secretary concerned shall develop and provide training for members of discharge review boards under section 1553 of title 10, United States Code, that are under the jurisdiction of such Secretary on each of the following:“(A) Sexual trauma. “(B) Intimate partner violence. “(C) Spousal abuse. “(D) The various responses of individuals to trauma. “(2) Uniformity of training.—The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly ensure that the training developed and provided pursuant to this subsection is, to the extent practicable, uniform. “(3) Secretary concerned defined.—In this subsection, the term ‘Secretary concerned’ has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(9) of title 10, United States Code.” Confidential Review of Characterization of Terms of Discharge of Members of the Armed Forces Who Are Victims of Sexual Offenses Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title V, § 547, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3375, which related to review process for correction of military records, consideration of individual experiences in connection with offenses, and preservation of confidentiality, was repealed by Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V, § 522(a)(3), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1380. See section 1554b of this title.

§1553 Review of Discharge or Dismissal