AR 635-200: Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations

Army Regulation 635-200 is the rulebook for every administrative separation of an active-duty enlisted soldier. Last revised on January 30, 2024, it sets out why the Army can push a soldier off active duty short of a court-martial, what discharge characterization can be attached, and what rights the soldier has along the way. Soldiers almost always hear their case described by chapter number, and that number controls nearly everything that follows.

Why the Chapter Number Matters

Each numbered chapter of AR 635-200 addresses a different reason for separation. The chapter your command selects tells you what they have to prove, what characterization is on the table, and whether you are entitled to a board hearing. The chapters soldiers most often face are:

Chapter 5 — separation for the convenience of the government, covering parenthood issues, personality disorders, hardship, and certain early-release programs.
Chapter 6 — dependency or hardship.
Chapter 7 — defective enlistments, including fraudulent entry.
Chapter 8 — voluntary separation due to pregnancy.
Chapter 9 — failure to complete alcohol or drug abuse rehabilitation.
Chapter 10 — voluntary discharge in lieu of trial by court-martial.
Chapter 11 — entry-level performance and conduct.
Chapter 13 — unsatisfactory performance.
Chapter 14 — misconduct, including patterns of minor infractions and single serious offenses.

The remaining chapters handle routine end-of-enlistment releases, retirement, and changes in service obligation. For anyone facing involuntary separation, the chapter number drives every procedural decision that comes after.

Chapter 11: Entry-Level Separation

Soldiers within their first 180 days of continuous active duty are in entry-level status.¹ If a soldier cannot adapt to military life or consistently fails to meet standards during that window, the command can move quickly under Chapter 11. The result is usually an Uncharacterized discharge, which carries no positive or negative label.

What matters is when the paperwork starts, not when it finishes. If the notification memorandum is signed on day 175, you are still in entry-level status even if the discharge is not final for another month. The command can still assign an OTH inside that window if the circumstances are serious enough.²

Chapter 5: Convenience of the Government

Chapter 5 covers separations where continued service has become impractical, even if the soldier did nothing wrong. Common scenarios include parenthood conflicts, personality disorders, preexisting conditions, and early release for education.

Parenthood separations happen when a soldier cannot maintain a valid Family Care Plan and the situation cannot be corrected.³ The Army treats this as administrative rather than disciplinary, and soldiers get counseling on both voluntary and involuntary options first.⁴ Chapter 5 also allows early release up to 90 days before the end of an enlistment to attend school. The January 2024 revision of AR 635-200 removed certain counseling and rehabilitative requirements for personality disorder cases.

Chapter 13: Unsatisfactory Performance

Chapter 13 is for soldiers who consistently fail to do the job despite training and counseling. The command has to show that performance has been genuinely unsatisfactory, that further training will not fix it, and that keeping the soldier would hurt the unit.⁵

Written counseling is a prerequisite. The soldier must be formally counseled at least once, warned that separation may follow, and told what discharge could result. Then the soldier gets a reasonable period to correct the problem. The regulation also requires a transfer between battalion-sized or larger units, with a minimum of two months of duty in each, before separation can proceed. That transfer requirement can be waived if further duty would cause disciplinary problems or the soldier is actively resisting rehabilitation. A medical examination and mental status evaluation must be completed before the action is finalized, to make sure the performance issue is not actually a medical or mental health condition.

Chapter 14: Misconduct

Chapter 14 is the broadest disciplinary tool in the regulation and the one soldiers fear most. It covers three categories:⁶

A pattern of minor infractions such as tardiness, uniform violations, or missed appointments that collectively show a soldier who will not follow the rules.
Discreditable involvement with civilian authorities, including a pattern of arrests or civilian criminal charges.
Commission of a serious offense, meaning a single act that could carry a punitive discharge at court-martial, such as drug use, theft, or assault.

Any characterization is possible under Chapter 14, including OTH. Commanders look at the whole record and the cumulative impact on the unit when deciding what to recommend.

Chapter 9: Rehabilitation Failure

A soldier who fails to complete substance abuse rehabilitation, refuses to participate, or relapses can be separated under Chapter 9. The characterization is Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) depending on the overall record. An Honorable discharge is required when information gathered through limited-use protections, such as a self-referral, is part of the file.

Chapter 9 is different from a Chapter 14 action for drug use. A soldier caught using drugs and processed for misconduct faces the full range of characterizations, up to OTH. A soldier who entered rehabilitation and could not complete the program gets more favorable treatment. Which chapter the command picks reshapes the rest of your life.

Chapter 10: Discharge in Lieu of Court-Martial

When court-martial charges could carry a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge, the soldier can request a Chapter 10 discharge instead of standing trial. This is a trade. You avoid the risk of a punitive discharge and possible confinement, but you accept near-certain separation with an OTH.

You get a minimum of 72 hours to consult with a military attorney before signing. The written request has to acknowledge that you understand you will likely receive an OTH, that veterans’ benefits will be lost, and that you are guilty of the charged offense or a lesser included offense that authorizes a punitive discharge. A Chapter 10 almost always comes with automatic reduction to E-1 and loss of the ability to sell back unused leave.⁷ You may also lose the right to ship household goods at government expense. The request can be withdrawn unless the separation authority has already approved it. Only a commander exercising general court-martial jurisdiction can approve it.

What Discharge Characterizations Mean

The characterization on your discharge paperwork controls your access to VA benefits, federal hiring preference, and how civilian employers read your service.

An Honorable discharge preserves full VA benefits, the GI Bill, and federal employment preference. A General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge means your service was honest and faithful but that the positives did not fully outweigh the negatives.⁸ A General keeps most VA healthcare and disability benefits but disqualifies you from the Montgomery GI Bill, which requires an Honorable characterization.

An Under Other Than Honorable Conditions (OTH) discharge is the harshest administrative characterization and applies when a soldier’s actions represent a significant departure from expected conduct.⁸ An OTH does not automatically kill every VA benefit. You may still receive care for a service-connected disability, treatment related to military sexual trauma, and emergency mental health services.⁹ Most other benefits require an individual VA determination in your favor.¹⁰

Entry-level soldiers receive an Uncharacterized discharge, which carries no label, unless the conduct is serious enough to justify an OTH.²

Your Rights Once You Are Notified

Every soldier notified of separation has the right to consult with a military attorney, hire a civilian attorney at their own expense, obtain copies of every document supporting the proposed separation, and submit written statements or evidence.¹ These rights can be waived, but only in writing.

The Army’s Trial Defense Service provides free representation to soldiers facing involuntary separation. TDS attorneys evaluate the evidence, secure defense witnesses, and represent you at any separation board.¹¹ Communications with TDS are confidential. Talk to them early. Once you waive a right in writing, you usually cannot get it back.

You have a minimum of seven duty days after the notification memorandum to submit a written rebuttal.¹² If your case qualifies for a board, you also get to appear in person, question witnesses, challenge board members for cause, and give a sworn or unsworn statement.¹

When You Are Entitled to a Board Hearing

Not every separation goes before a board. If you have fewer than six years of total military service and the recommended characterization is no worse than General, the command can use a simpler notification procedure. A board is required in two situations: when the soldier has six or more years of combined active and reserve service, or when the command recommends an OTH.²

When an OTH is recommended, a judge advocate has to review the board’s record before the separation authority takes final action.² Notification-procedure cases are approved by a special court-martial convening authority, typically an O-5 or above. Board cases require approval from a general court-martial convening authority or an O-7 or above.

Bonuses, Leave, and Other Financial Hits

Bonus recoupment catches soldiers off guard. If you received an enlistment or reenlistment bonus tied to a service obligation you did not finish, federal law requires you to repay the unearned portion, and any remaining installments stop immediately. The service secretary can waive collection when it would be against equity and good conscience, contrary to the best interests of the United States, or contrary to a personnel policy objective. Soldiers separated because of combat-related disability or sole survivorship are exempt. The debt survives bankruptcy if the discharge order comes within five years of the termination of the service agreement.¹³

Terminal leave is available to soldiers being discharged and works like regular leave except you never return to your duty station.¹⁴ Selling back unused leave for cash is reserved for soldiers separating with an Honorable discharge. A Chapter 10 soldier typically loses that option.

Fixing a Bad Discharge After the Fact

A bad characterization is not always permanent. Two boards can review it.

The Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) can change the characterization, the narrative reason for separation, and the reentry code on your DD Form 214. Apply on DD Form 293 within 15 years of your discharge date.¹⁵ There are no exceptions to that 15-year window. The board considers whether the discharge was proper and equitable when it was issued.

The Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) has broader authority and can change any military record. The standard deadline is three years from when you discovered or should have discovered the error, but the ABCMR can waive that in the interest of justice.¹⁶ Past the 15-year ADRB window, ABCMR is your only option.

VA policy has expanded review for veterans whose discharge was connected to PTSD, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, or sexual orientation, including separations under the former “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.¹⁷ Those factors give upgrade boards a reason to look harder at discharges shaped by conditions the military did not adequately recognize at the time.

Read Your DD 214 Before You Sign

The document that outlives your service is the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. It records your service dates, discharge characterization, separation authority (the chapter used), reentry code, and narrative reason for separation.¹⁸ Every VA claim, every veterans’ hiring preference request, and every GI Bill application runs through that one page.

Read every line before you sign. Errors are correctable, but fixing them after separation means an application to the ABCMR and months of waiting. Catching mistakes before you leave the installation is the easiest thing you will do all year.

1
U.S. Army JAG Corps. AR 635-200 Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations
2
Department of Defense. DoDI 1332.14 – Enlisted Administrative Separations
3
Defense Technical Information Center. Family Care Plans for All Family Members
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U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. Family Care Plan
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U.S. Army. What You Should Know About Chapter 13 AR 635-200 – Separation for Unsatisfactory Performance
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U.S. Army. What You Should Know About Chapter 14 AR 635-200
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U.S. Army. Chapter 10 Request for Discharge in Lieu of Trial by Courts-Martial
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U.S. Department of Labor. VETS USERRA Fact Sheet 3 – Frequently Asked Questions on Separations
9
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. What Benefits Can I Get if I Have an Other-Than-Honorable Discharge
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Applying for Benefits and Your Character of Discharge
11
U.S. Army JAG Corps. U.S. Army Trial Defense Service – Administrative Enlisted Separation
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U.S. Army. I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord Enlisted Administrative Separation Guide
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 37 USC 373 – Repayment of Unearned Portion of Bonus, Incentive Pay, or Similar Benefit
14
Military Compensation and Financial Readiness. Leave Benefits During Transition
15
Department of Defense. DD Form 293 – Application for the Review of Discharge
16
eCFR. 32 CFR 581.3 – Army Board for Correction of Military Records
17
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. How to Apply for a Discharge Upgrade
18
National Archives. DD Form 214 Discharge Papers and Separation Documents