RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
IN THE MATTER OF:	DOCKET NUMBER: BC-2019-04831
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX	COUNSEL: NONE
(AKA)  XXXXXXXXXX	HEARING REQUESTED: NO

APPLICANT’S REQUEST
The name on her DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, be changed to reflect her current legal name.
APPLICANT’S CONTENTIONS
She and her former spouse divorced in 2017; so to avoid any confusion with the Department of Veteran Affairs health care clinics, her records need to be corrected.
The applicant’s complete submission is at Exhibit A.
STATEMENT OF FACTS
The applicant is an honorably discharged Air Force airman first class (E-3).
The applicant served in the Air Force from 14 May 1997 to 13 May 2001, under the names MRB and MRT.

On 7 August 2017, pursuant to a divorce, the applicant obtained a court order to revert to her maiden name - MRB.
For more information, see the excerpt of the applicant’s record at Exhibit B.
APPLICABLE AUTHORITY
Consistent with recommendations of the Air Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Separations Standardization Working Group, the Board has established a precedent of granting requests for post-service name changes under the following conditions: (1) the applicant’s name was changed as part of a transgender transition or the applicant is seeking to revert to a maiden name or the name under which he or she entered service; (2) the change is supported by a court order, a divorce decree, or birth certificate (True Copy Raised Seal, Notarized, or official digital document with electronic signature); (3) the change is made only to the DD Form 214; and (4) the Board has not already granted a name change for the applicant.

AIR FORCE EVALUATION
SAF/MR Memorandum, Guidance to the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records, dated 9 March 2015, states that while the Board generally has the authority to correct an applicant’s records to reflect a legal change to the applicant’s name, it should exercise discretion in doing so. The DD Form 214 is primarily created for the benefit of the veteran to establish entitlements to various government programs, or in seeking employment with organizations that grant veteran’s preferences. A DD Form 214 may constitute an injustice when the veteran asserts that presenting a DD Form 214 that lists the old name effectively requires a needlessly intrusive explanation of personal history. This type of injustice may arise in situations such as when the name change is transgender-related or associated with a divorce.
A complete copy of the SAF/MR guidance is at Exhibit C.
APPLICANT’S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION
The Board sent a copy of the SAF/MR memorandum to the applicant on 19 November 2019, for comment (Exhibit D), but has received no response.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
1.	The application is timely filed.
2.	The applicant exhausted all available non-judicial relief before applying to the Board.
3.	After reviewing all Exhibits, the Board concludes that the applicant is the victim of an injustice. The Board finds the applicant’s certified divorce decree meets the criteria noted above for correction of the DD Form 214. Moreover, the applicant has established that presenting her DD Form 214 with the previous legal name effectively requires a needlessly intrusive explanation of her personal history. Therefore, the Board recommends correcting the record as indicated below.
RECOMMENDATION
The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air Force relating to APPLICANT be corrected to show that the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, issued in conjunction with the her 13 May 2001 discharge, be declared void; a new DD Form 214 be issued to reflect the current legal name in Block 1; and no entries be made on the reissued DD Form 214 indicating the name was changed or the DD Form 214 was administratively reissued.
CERTIFICATION
The following quorum of the Board, as defined in Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-2603, Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (AFBCMR), paragraph 1.5, considered Docket Number BC-2019-04831 in Executive Session on 8 May 2020:

, Panel Chair 
, Panel Member
, Panel Member
All members voted to correct the record. The panel considered the following: Exhibit A: Application, DD Form 149, w/atchs, dated 13 September 2019.
Exhibit B: Documentary evidence, including relevant excerpts from official records.

Exhibit C: Advisory opinion, SAF/MR, dated 9 March 2015.
Exhibit D: Notification of advisory, SAF/MRBC to applicant, dated 19 November 2019.

Taken together with all Exhibits, this document constitutes the true and complete Record of Proceedings, as required by AFI 36-2603, paragraph 4.11.9.