How to Fill Out and Submit DA Form 3739: Compassionate Action Packets

DA Form 3739 is the Army’s application for a compassionate action, used when a serious family hardship requires you to be somewhere other than your current or projected duty station. The form covers four different requests: a compassionate reassignment, a deferment of your report date, a deletion of existing orders, or a permissive attachment near the hardship location.¹ AR 614-200, Chapter 5, Section III governs the process, and final approval sits with Human Resources Command (HRC). The form itself is three pages, but the packet lives or dies on the documentation you attach to it.

Pick the Right Action Before You Write Anything

Block 1 asks which type of action you want. The four options are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one delays your packet.

A reassignment is a full PCS to a different installation, with new orders, triggered by a hardship that requires your presence at or near a specific location.
A deferment pushes back your existing report date. AR 614-200 directs that deferment be used instead of deletion when the problem can be resolved within 90 days of the report date.¹
A deletion removes existing assignment orders entirely and is used when the hardship cannot be resolved inside that 90-day window.
A permissive attachment temporarily attaches you to a unit near the hardship location, often while your packet is still pending.

If you are not sure which one fits, your S-1 or installation personnel office can help you decide before you sign anything.

Who and What Qualifies

Compassionate actions are limited to problems involving authorized family members: your spouse, children, parents, minor siblings, someone who stood in place of a parent (in loco parentis), or your only living blood relative. Parents-in-law count only if no one else in your spouse’s family is available to help.¹

The regulation splits requests into temporary problems (expected to resolve within one year) and longer-term ones. Situations that normally warrant approval for temporary problems include:

Terminal illness of an immediate family member with a life expectancy of less than 12 months, documented by the attending physician.
Major surgery for a spouse or minor child requiring 12 months or less of recovery, documented by the attending physician.
A recent severe psychotic episode involving a spouse or child.
Minor children being made wards of the court or placed in foster care because of family separation.

Two other conditions apply to every request: the hardship did not exist and was not foreseeable when you entered active duty, and it cannot be resolved through leave, correspondence, power of attorney, or help from other family members. There must also be a valid position matching your MOS and grade at the installation you are requesting.¹

What Does Not Qualify on Its Own

This is where most packets get returned. The regulation specifically excludes the following as standalone grounds:

Divorce or separation caused by military-required family separation.
Court appearances for divorce or child custody matters.
Being awarded custody of your children through a divorce or court order.
Sole parenthood.
Pregnancy complications such as threatened miscarriage or cesarean section.
Problems that would be solved by your family moving to your current duty station.
Housing shortages or home ownership issues.
Financial problems, including those caused by mismanagement or loss of a spouse’s off-duty income.
Chronic conditions of parents or parents-in-law.
Minor allergies related to climate at the duty station.

The word “alone” matters. A custody situation by itself will not qualify, but a custody crisis combined with a genuine welfare emergency, such as children facing foster placement, can. Routine life events, even stressful ones, do not meet the threshold. The hardship needs to be something extraordinary that only your physical presence can fix.¹

Filling Out the Three Pages

The current version of DA Form 3739 is dated August 2018 and available through the Army Publishing Directorate. Every block needs an answer; a blank field can stall the packet.

Page 1

Block 1 is your action selection, including the number of days if you are asking for a deferment. Blocks 2 through 9 capture your identifiers: name, last four of SSN, rank, proficiency pay category, enlistment commitment, primary and secondary MOS, and the date of your most recent PCS. Block 10 asks your current status (on duty, ordinary leave, attached, emergency leave, delay en route). Blocks 11 through 13 cover your assigned or attached unit, phone number, DEROS if overseas, and DROS. Blocks 14 through 20 record marital status, marriage date, your spouse’s name, age and address, and your BASD, PEBD, ETS, and home phone.

Block 21 is a table listing every authorized family member under AR 600-8-14, with name, age, relationship, and address. Fill it completely. Missing dependents raise questions during review.¹

Page 2

Block 22a asks about your parents and parents-in-law, including their health status. Note any who are deceased. Block 22b applies only when the request involves someone who stood in place of a parent; list their name, age, address, health, and the dates you lived with them. Block 23 asks for your brothers and sisters, plus in-laws if the request involves in-law problems, with addresses, occupations, and monthly income. The income detail matters because the reviewer is deciding whether other family members have the resources to help instead of you.

Block 24 asks whether you have submitted a previous compassionate action request. If yes, give the date, the circumstances, and the final decision. Do not omit a prior request. HRC will check, and a missing disclosure looks worse than a prior denial.

Page 3

Block 25 is the heart of the form. Write a clear, specific narrative: what happened, who is affected, why your physical presence is necessary, and what installation or location would put you close enough to resolve the problem. If illness or injury is involved, reference the attached physician’s statement.

Block 26 asks what you have already tried. This is where you show that leave, power of attorney, family help, and civilian resources have been exhausted or will not work. Reviewers specifically look for this section. A request that does not address alternative solutions will almost certainly be returned. Block 27 is for additional remarks. Block 28 contains the statement that you were interviewed by a commissioned officer and warned about false statements; you sign there. Block 29 is the commander’s recommendation, where your commander certifies verification and marks approval or disapproval.¹

Supporting Documentation That Actually Moves the Packet

The form on its own gets nothing approved. Gather the evidence before you start writing, because the type of evidence depends on the type of hardship.

For medical problems, a signed statement from the attending physician giving the specific diagnosis, prognosis, date of onset, past and anticipated hospitalization, period of recovery, and for terminal cases the anticipated life expectancy. The statement must also explain why your presence has a bearing on the family member’s medical condition.
For legal problems, a signed statement from a licensed attorney explaining the problem and why solutions other than your reassignment are unacceptable, plus copies of any court orders, divorce decrees, or other legal documents.
For assault or child abuse, statements from police, social service agencies, or examining physicians.
For other hardships, supporting statements from responsible third parties with personal knowledge: clergy, social workers, court clerks, Red Cross personnel, or family friends.

If the request involves a dependent’s medical condition, that dependent must be enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), and the EFMP enrollment paperwork goes in the packet.² Also include a copy of your current orders, proof of family member status (birth certificates, marriage license), proof of custody if applicable, and your Enlisted or Officer Record Brief.

Every attachment should answer two questions: is this hardship unusual, and does it require this Soldier’s physical presence? A physician’s note that says “patient is ill” without connecting your presence to the outcome will not move the needle. Strong packets mirror the regulation’s language about why civilian resources, other family members, and remote solutions are inadequate.¹

Submitting the Packet

Hand the completed form and all attachments to your immediate commander. The commander interviews you as noted in Block 28, verifies the information, and marks a recommendation in Block 29. The packet then moves up the chain of command to the installation personnel office (G-1 or equivalent), and from there to HRC at AHRC-EPO-A. Submit one copy only.

If you are not stationed where the hardship is happening, you may need to be on leave while the request is pending. In that case, include a DA Form 31 in the packet.

HRC has 15 business days to review the packet and issue a decision.¹ Add the time the packet spends traveling up the chain before it reaches HRC, and a realistic total is roughly three to six weeks depending on your installation’s processing speed. Incomplete packets, whether from missing signatures, missing documentation, or the wrong form version, are the most common reason for delays.

Red Cross Emergency Messages

When a family emergency happens fast, an American Red Cross emergency message verifies the situation and gives your commander a factual basis to grant emergency leave while your compassionate action packet works through the system. The Red Cross does not authorize leave or approve compassionate actions. Your commander retains that authority.³

You or a family member can initiate a message by calling the Emergency Communication Center at 877-272-7337, visiting redcross.org, or using the Hero Care mobile app.⁴ The Red Cross contacts the doctor, nurse, social worker, or funeral home to independently verify the emergency, then delivers a confidential report to your command. Attaching that message to your DA Form 3739 strengthens the packet because it provides third-party verification from the start.

If Your Request Is Denied

Denied packets come back with the specific reasons for disapproval, so you know which regulatory requirement you missed. Under AR 614-200, you are allowed one request for reconsideration for the same or similar problem, but only if you have new supporting documents that were not in the original submission. Resubmitting the same packet with no new evidence will not be entertained.

Two points on disapproval authority. Only a General Officer with General Court-Martial Authority can disapprove a compassionate reassignment, and that disapproval must include a written justification. If the request is operational in nature, however, any commander in your chain of command can disapprove it and return it without forwarding to HRC.¹ If your first-line commander is leaning toward disapproval, have a candid conversation about what is missing before you push the packet forward anyway.

After Approval

Once HRC approves the request, you receive updated orders reflecting the reassignment, deferment, or deletion. For a compassionate reassignment, you may be assigned duties outside your primary MOS at the new installation if no matching position is available. The form itself warns that approval may also require a waiver of any enlistment or reenlistment commitment.

If the compassionate action involves a medical condition and your family member is enrolled in EFMP, HRC coordinates with MEDCOM to confirm the required medical services are available at the new duty station before finalizing the assignment.²

The False Statements Warning Is Real

Block 28 warns about false official statements, and it is not boilerplate. Fabricating documents or lying on DA Form 3739 can be prosecuted under Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, with punishment as a court-martial may direct.⁵ Reviewers at every level, from your commander to the G-1 to HRC, are experienced at spotting inconsistencies between the narrative and the supporting documents. Build the packet honestly, and let the documentation carry the weight.

1
U.S. Army. Compassionate Reassignment/Deletion/Deferment and Attachments
2
Enterprise EFMP. Compassionate Reassignment Process
3
American Red Cross. Emergency Communication Services
4
The United States Army. Emergency Service Messages There When You Need Them
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 907 – Art. 107 False Official Statements; False Swearing