ex-LCpl, USMC

Current Discharge and Applicant’s Request

Application Received:  20150616
Characterization of Service Received:  (per DD 214) GENERAL (UNDER HONORABLE CONDITIONS)
Narrative Reason for Discharge:  (per DD 214) WEIGHT CONTROL FAILURE
Reenlistment Code:  RE-3P
Authority for Discharge:  (per DD 214) MARCORSEPMAN 6215 [WEIGHT CONTROL FAILURE]

Applicant’s Request:	Characterization change to: HONORABLE
	Narrative Reason change to: NONE REQUESTED
	
Summary of Service

Prior Service:
Inactive:	USMCR (DEP)	20100301 - 20101205  COG	Active:	NONE

Period of Service Under Review:
Date of Current Enlistment:  20101206	Age at Enlistment:  19
Period of Enlistment:  4 Years  0 Months
Date of Discharge:  20141205	Highest Rank:  LANCE CORPORAL
Length of Service:  04  Year(s)  00  Month(s)  00  Day(s)
Education Level:  12	AFQT:  77
MOS:  0411
Proficiency/Conduct Marks (# of occasions):  4.3 (NFIR) / 4.3 (NFIR)	Fitness Reports:  NOT APPLICABLE

Awards and Decorations (per DD 214):	GCM GWOTSM GWOTEM NDSM SSDR LoC LoA

Periods of UA/CONF:  NONE

NJP:  NONE		SCM:  NONE		SPCM:  NONE		CC:  NONE

Retention Warning Counseling:  4

- 20131212:	For assignment to BCP.  Meet your weight/body fat goals by losing 3 lbs and 1% body fat each month.  

- 20140420:	For unsatisfactory performance while assigned to the BCP.  You have not met goals.

- 20140620:	For failure to comply with established weight/body standards while assigned to the BCP.

- 20140623:	For unsatisfactory performance of duties:  Specifically failure to comply with prescribed height weight standards while assigned to the BCP.  You are being processed for administrative separation for unsatisfactory performance.

Types of Documents Submitted/reviewed

Related to Military Service:
	DD 214:		Service/Medical Record:		Other Records:	

Related to Post-Service Period:
	Employment:		Finances:		Education/Training:	
	Health/Medical Records:		Rehabilitation/Treatment:		Criminal Records:	
	Personal Documentation:		Community Service:		References:	
	Department of VA letter:		Other Documentation:	
		Additional Statements:
	From Applicant:		From/To Representation:		From/To Congress member:	

Pertinent Regulation/Law

A.  Paragraph 6215, WEIGHT CONTROL FAILURE, of the Marine Corps Separation and Retirement Manual, (MCO P1900.16E), effective 1 September 2001 until Present.

B.  Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5420.174D of 22 December 2004, Naval Discharge Review Board (NDRB) Procedures and Standards, Part II, Para 211, Regularity of Government Affairs, Part V, Para 502, Propriety and Para 503, Equity.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
NAVAL DISCHARGE REVIEW BOARD (NDRB)
DISCHARGE REVIEW DECISIONAL DOCUMENT

Applicant’s Issues

1.	The Applicant desires educational benefits.  
2.	The applicant contends that he completed his EAS and that his performance over four years of service warrants an honorable characterization of service.

Decision

Date:  20150903	      DOCUMENTARY REVIEW	Location: Washington D.C.	 Representation: State VA

By a vote of 5-0 the Characterization shall change to HONORABLE.
By a vote of 5-0 the Narrative Reason shall remain WEIGHT CONTROL FAILURE.

Discussion

The NDRB, under its responsibility to examine the propriety and equity of an Applicant’s discharge, is authorized to change the character of service and the reason for discharge if such change is warranted.  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 his discharge and the discharge process to ensure his discharge met the pertinent standards of equity and propriety.  The Applicant’s record of service included four 6105 counseling warnings and no misconduct resulting in nonjudicial punishment or court-martial.  Based on failure to meet physical readiness standards, his command administratively processed him for separation. When notified of administrative separation processing using the notification procedure, the Applicant exercised  his rights to consult with a qualified counsel and waived his right to submit a written statement.

Issue 1:  (Nondecisional) The Applicant desires educational benefits.  There is no requirement, or law, that grants re-characterization solely on the issue of facilitating access to VA benefits.  Additionally, the NDRB has no authority to upgrade a discharge for the sole purpose of enhancing educational opportunities or employment opportunities.  Regulations limit the NDRB’s review solely to a determination of the propriety and the equity of a discharge.  As such, this issue does not serve to provide a foundation upon which the NDRB can grant relief.

Issue 2:  (Decisional) (Equity)  RELIEF WARRANTED.  The applicant contends that he completed his EAS and that his performance over four years of service warrants an honorable characterization of service.  The Applicant provided a copy of a CO’s Letter of Appreciation, as well as letters of support from his former Platoon Sergeant and a fellow Marine.  The Applicant was placed on the Body Composition Program (BCP) in December 2103 for being 15 pounds over standards.  In June 2013, he was counseled and notified of separation for failing to comply with prescribed height weight standards.  However, the Marine was not separated until December 2013, six months later at his EAS.  At the time of discharge, the Applicant’s proficiency and conduct marks were 4.3 and 4.3 respectively.  After a careful review of the official service records, and taking into consideration the facts and circumstances unique to this case, the NDRB determined relief is warranted based on equitable grounds.  The NDRB voted unanimously to upgrade the characterization of service to Honorable.  Relief granted.

Summary:  After a thorough review of the available evidence, to include the Applicant’s summary of service, service record entries, and discharge process, the Board found the discharge was proper but not equitable at the time of discharge.  Therefore the awarded characterization of service shall change to HONORABLE.  The narrative reason for separation shall remain WEIGHT CONTROL FAILURE.  The Applicant remains eligible for a personal appearance hearing for a period of fifteen years from the date of his discharge.  The Applicant is directed to the Addendum for additional information.

ADDENDUM:  Information for the Applicant

Complaint Procedures:  If you believe the decision in your case is unclear, not responsive to the issues you raised, or does not otherwise comport with the decisional document requirements of DoD Instruction 1332.28, you may submit a complaint in accordance with Enclosure (5) of that Instruction to the Joint Service Review Activity, OUSD (P&R) PI-LP, The Pentagon, Washington, DC  20301-4000.  You should read Enclosure (5) of the Instruction before submitting such a complaint.  The complaint procedure does not permit a challenge of the merits of the decision; it is designed solely to ensure that the decisional documents meet applicable requirements for clarity and responsiveness.  You may view DoD Instruction 1332.28 and other Decisional Documents by going online at “http://Boards.law.af.mil.”

Additional Reviews:  After a document review has been conducted, former members are eligible for a personal appearance hearing, provided the application is received at the NDRB within 15 years of the Applicant’s date of discharge.  The Applicant can provide documentation to support any claims of post-service accomplishments or any additional evidence related to this discharge.  Representation at a personal appearance hearing is recommended but not required.  There are veterans organizations such as the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans that are willing to provide guidance to former service members in their efforts to obtain a discharge upgrade.  If a former member has been discharged for more than 15 years, has already been granted a personal appearance hearing or has otherwise exhausted their opportunities before the NDRB, the Applicant may petition the Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR), 701 South Courthouse Road, Suite 1001, Arlington, VA 22204-2490, or http://www.secnav.navy.mil/mra/bcnr/Pages/default.aspx for further review.

Service Benefits:  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines eligibility for post-service benefits, not the NDRB.  There is no requirement or law that grants recharacterization solely on the issue of obtaining veterans benefits and this issue does not serve to provide a foundation upon which the Board can grant relief.

Employment/Educational Opportunities:  The NDRB has no authority to upgrade a discharge for the sole purpose of enhancing employment or educational opportunities.  Regulations limit the NDRB’s review to a determination of the propriety and equity of the discharge.

Reenlistment/RE-code:  Effective 6 February 2015, the NDRB is authorized to change a NDRB Applicant’s Reenlistment Code if related to an accompanying change in discharge characterization or narrative, but this authority is strictly limited to those cases where an applicant’s narrative reason or characterization of discharge is changed and that change warrants revision of the previously issued reenlistment code.  Additionally, the NDRB has no authority to upgrade a discharge for the sole purpose of enhancing reenlistment opportunities.  An unfavorable “RE-CODE” is, in itself, not a bar to reenlistment.  A request for a waiver can be submitted during the processing of a formal application for reenlistment through a recruiter.

Medical Conditions and Misconduct:  DoD disability regulations do not preclude a disciplinary separation.  Appropriate regulations stipulate that separations for misconduct take precedence over potential separations for other reasons.  Whenever a member is being processed through the Physical Evaluation Board, and is processed subsequently for an administrative involuntary separation or is referred to a court martial for misconduct, the disability evaluation is suspended pending the outcome of the non-disability proceedings.  If the action includes either a punitive or administrative discharge for misconduct or for any basis wherein an Other Than Honorable discharge is authorized, the medical board report is filed in the member’s terminated health record.  Additionally, the NDRB does not have the authority to change a narrative reason for separation to one indicating a medical disability or other medical related reasons.  Only the BCNR can grant this type of narrative reason change.

Automatic Upgrades - There is no law or regulation that provides for an unfavorable discharge to be upgraded based solely on the passage of time or good conduct subsequent to leaving naval service.

Post-Service Conduct:  The NDRB is authorized to consider post-service factors in the recharacterization of a discharge.  Outstanding post-service conduct, to the extent such matters provide a basis for a more thorough understanding of the Applicant’s performance and conduct during the period of service under review, is considered during Board reviews.  Documentation to support a post-service conduct upgrade includes, but is not limited to: a verifiable continuous employment record; marriage and children’s birth certificates (if applicable); character witness statements; documentation of community or church service; certification of non-involvement with civil authorities; evidence of financial stability or letters of good standing from banks, credit card companies, or other financial institutions; attendance at or completion of higher education (official transcripts); and documentation of a drug-free lifestyle.   The Applicant is advised that completion of these items alone does not guarantee the upgrade of an unfavorable discharge, as each discharge is reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis to determine if post-service accomplishments help demonstrate  in-service misconduct was an aberration and not indicative of the member’s overall character.

Issues Concerning Bad-Conduct Discharges (BCD): Because relevant and material facts stated in a court-martial specification are presumed by the NDRB to be established facts, issues relating to the Applicant’s innocence of charges for which he was found guilty cannot form a basis for relief.  With respect to a discharge adjudged by a special court-martial, the action of the NDRB is restricted to upgrades based on clemency.  Clemency is an act of leniency that reduces the severity of the punishment imposed.  The NDRB does not have the jurisdictional authority to review a discharge or dismissal resulting from a general court-martial.

Board Membership:  The names and votes of the members of the NDRB Board are recorded on the original of this document and may be obtained from the service records by writing to:

Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards
Attn:  Naval Discharge Review Board
720 Kennon Street SE Rm 309
Washington Navy Yard DC  20374-5023