AIR FORCE DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD DECISIONAL DOCUMENT  
	CASE NUMBER

 FD-2021-00265	
					
The applicant was discharged on 16 Jul 19 in accordance with AFI 36-3208 with a General discharge for Misconduct (Minor Infractions).  The applicant appealed for an upgrade of her discharge characterization to Honorable and a change to the reenlistment eligibility code.  The Board was conducted on 16 Sep 21.  

The applicant was offered a personal appearance before the Discharge Review Board (DRB), but declined and requested the board be completed based on a records only review.  

The applicant was not represented by counsel.    

Pursuant to 10 USC §1553, the board included a member who is a psychiatrist/ psychologist with training on mental health issues connected with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), and training on mental health disorders.

The attached examiner’s brief (provided to applicant only), extracted from available service records, contains pertinent data regarding the circumstances and character of the applicant’s military service. 
  
FINDING:  The DRB voted unanimously to approve the applicant’s request to upgrade her discharge characterization to Honorable, to change the discharge narrative reason to Secretarial Authority. The reenlistment eligibility code was changed to 2C.

The DRB, under its responsibility to examine the propriety and equity of an applicant’s discharge, is authorized to change the characterization of service and the narrative reason for discharge if such changes are warranted.  If applicable, the board can also change the applicant’s reenlistment eligibility code.  In reviewing discharges, the board presumes regularity in the conduct of governmental affairs unless there is substantial credible evidence to rebut the presumption, to include evidence submitted by the applicant.  The Board completed a thorough review of the circumstances that led to the discharge and the discharge process to determine if the discharge met the pertinent standards of equity and propriety.  

The applicant’s record of service included Letters of Reprimand, and Letters of Counseling.  Her misconduct included: notified leadership she was going to hospital, member never left home; failed to report for duty and did not respond to calls or text, supervisor found her sleeping, refused to report for duty; disrespectful and attempted to leave work without approval; failed to show to command directed evaluation; stated she needed to seek medical attention, went home, never sought medical attention; verbally disrespected NCO, argued and left without being dismissed; reported late for duty on multiple occasions; unable to maintain military bearing during memorial service; disobeyed a direct order; found sleeping during duty hours. 

Due to evidence of military sexual trauma and mental health conditions found in the applicant’s medical record, the Board considered the case based on the liberal consideration standards required by guidance from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and/or 10 USC §1553.

The applicant states that she was always a hard worker regardless of the hardships she faced. She states that she aims to meet the standards that the Air Force requires of her and goes beyond when she has the opportunity. She explains that she would like her discharge upgraded to honorable so that she may receive the benefits she needs and possibly reenlist in the future. 

CONCLUSION:  
After reviewing the applicant’s record and written statement, the DRB did not find evidence to substantiate an impropriety.  However, sufficient evidence existed to convince the Board that the discharge was inequitable.  A thorough review of the service record and input from the Board’s psychiatrist/ psychologist, reveal that the applicant’s mental health condition was a mitigating factor to the applicant's misconduct.  Thus, the Board determined the overall characterization of the applicant’s service was more accurately characterized by an Honorable discharge with a discharge narrative of “Secretarial Authority.”  Additionally, the reenlistment eligibility code was changed to “2C”. 

The DRB results were approved by the board president on 23 Sep 21.  If desired, the applicant can request a list of the board members and their votes by writing to:  

Air Force Review Boards Agency
Attn: Discharge Review Board
3351 Celmers Lane
Joint Base Andrews, NAF Washington, MD 20762-6602  
Instructions on how to appeal an AFDRB decision can be found at 
https://afrbaportal.azurewebsites.us

Attachment:
Examiner's Brief (Applicant Only)