How to Fill Out and Submit DD Form 2624: Specimen Custody Document

To fill out DD Form 2624, the Specimen Custody Document used for military urinalysis, work top to bottom: complete the batch header (Blocks 1 through 10) identifying the unit and the reason for collection, log each donor’s specimen barcode and DoD ID number in Block 6, then document every physical transfer of the sealed specimens in the Item 11 chain of custody on the back. The completed original ships inside the container with the sealed bottles to the Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory.¹

The form is structured around batches of up to 12 specimens. Every entry is governed by DoD Instruction 1010.16, which sets the technical procedures for the Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program, and errors on the form are what defense counsel look for when a positive result is challenged.²

Where to Get the Blank Form

The fillable PDF is available from the Executive Services Directorate at the Department of Defense forms website. Download it to your computer and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than a browser to avoid display problems.³ It cannot be requisitioned through standard supply channels; unit drug testing coordinators print or download it as needed.

Completing the Batch Header

The top section establishes where, when, and why the collection is happening. Several fields work differently for Army, Navy/USMC, and Air Force, so the block-level instructions on the form itself are the authoritative reference. The key entries:¹

Block 1 — Message Address

The message address of the unit submitting the specimens. All branches use the same entry.

Block 2

Navy and Marine Corps enter the message address of their second echelon commander. Army leaves it blank. Air Force may use it to identify the base point of contact.

Block 3 — Unit/Base Identification

Army and Navy enter the Service Code Area and Unit Identification Code (UIC) or Reporting Unit Code (RUC). Air Force enters a four-character Base ID Code.

Block 4 — Date of Collection

Year-Month-Day format for every branch.

Block 5 — Batch Number

Navy assigns a locally generated batch number, with each batch of 12 specimens (or portion of 12) receiving its own. Air Force enters a three-digit batch number that forms the middle portion of its 10-character Base Identification Number. Army does not use this field.

Block 7 — Collection Code

A two-letter code showing why the test is being conducted. DoDI 1010.01 defines the authorized codes, including IU for full-unit inspection, IR for random inspection of individuals within a unit, PO for probable cause, VO for voluntary consent, and RO for rehabilitation monitoring.⁴

Block 8 — Additional Testing

Filled in only when the command requests testing beyond the standard panel. Enter “S” for steroids or “O” for other drugs, and attach a memorandum specifying the substance and the justification.

Recording Individual Specimens in Block 6

Block 6 is where each donor gets documented. For every specimen in the batch, enter the pre-printed barcode number that matches the barcode affixed to that member’s specimen bottle, along with the Service Member ID number from the DoD Common Access Card. The barcode on the bottle and the barcode on the form must be identical.¹

Names never appear. The member’s name goes on neither the specimen bottle, the DD Form 2624, nor any other documentation sent to the laboratory. The DoD ID number (the Electronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier) is the only acceptable identifier. Social Security Numbers are permitted only in limited cases where a DoD ID has not yet been issued to the donor.²

Each donor verifies that their DoD ID is correctly recorded on both the form and the bottle label, initials the bottle label, and signs the corresponding entry in the collection record. The collector independently confirms the information by comparing the member’s presented identification against what appears on the label and the form.²

Collection Steps That Pair With the Form

The form documents a physical process, and the two have to line up.

Direct Observation

Every DoD urinalysis specimen is collected under direct observation. The observer must be a properly trained individual whose sex marker in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System matches that of the member providing the specimen. The observer watches the member urinate directly into the specimen bottle, or into a collection cup that is then poured into the bottle in the observer’s presence.²

Secondary Review and Sealing

After collection, a second individual at the site (an additional collector, an officer, an NCO, or a designated civilian) conducts a secondary review of each capped and labeled bottle to confirm compliance with DoDI 1010.16. Tamper-evident tape then goes over the bottle lid in the presence of the service member. The tape must contact the bottle label at both ends, and no substitute tape is permitted.²

Volume

The laboratory needs more than 30 milliliters of urine and no more than 75 milliliters (the maximum fill line on the standard bottle). Specimens arriving with less than 30 mL still get screened, but the lab may not be able to run the full range of tests if multiple drugs are detected. If the volume is too low to test at all, the lab reports a non-testable discrepancy to the submitting command.²

Completing the Item 11 Chain of Custody

The back of DD Form 2624 tracks physical custody. Every time custody of the specimens changes hands, a new line in Item 11 must be completed:¹

Column a (Date): the date of collection or shipment.
Column b (Released By): signature and printed name of the urinalysis coordinator currently holding custody.
Column c (Received By): signature and printed name of the person accepting custody. Left blank if no physical change of custody occurs before shipment to the laboratory.
Column d (Purpose of Transfer/Remarks): the reason, whether a transfer between accountable individuals, placement into temporary secure storage, removal from secure storage, or delivery to the testing laboratory.

This is where chain-of-custody challenges most often originate. If specimens sit in a secure storage area overnight before shipping, that temporary storage has to be documented with a “released by” entry when they go in and a “received by” entry when they come out. A skipped line is the kind of gap defense counsel look for.

Packaging and Shipping to the Laboratory

Once every entry is complete and every signature is in place, the original DD Form 2624 goes inside the shipping container alongside the sealed specimen bottles. The container is secured with tamper-evident tape across all seams so any unauthorized opening leaves visible evidence. The package then ships to the designated Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory (FTDTL) for analysis.¹

DoDI 1010.16 does not prescribe a specific carrier, but units should use a trackable shipping method. Retaining the tracking number lets the unit verify delivery and adds accountability beyond the physical tamper-evident seals.

Discrepancies That Get Flagged

A mismatch between the UIC or base/area code on the form and the specimen bottle is a reportable discrepancy under DoDI 1010.16. The specimen still gets tested, but the discrepancy goes back to the submitting command.² When the shipment reaches the FTDTL, lab personnel inspect the exterior for tampering, then compare each physical bottle against the entries on the form. Mismatched labels, leaked containers, or volume below the testable threshold all generate discrepancy reports back to the unit.¹

The recurring failure points are worth checking before the container leaves the unit: barcodes on bottle and form matching digit for digit, the correct DoD ID in every row of Block 6, no names anywhere on the paperwork or bottles, tamper-evident tape properly seated on each bottle lid, and a signed Item 11 line for every custody transfer including temporary storage. Getting those right is what makes the results defensible if the case moves to an administrative separation board or a court-martial.

1
Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 2624 – Specimen Custody Document – Drug Testing
2
Department of Defense. DoD Instruction 1010.16 – Technical Procedures for the Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program
3
Washington Headquarters Services. DD Forms 2500-2999
4
Department of Defense. DoDI 1010.01 – Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program