How to Fill Out the Army Permanent Profile Form (DA Form 3349)

To fill out DA Form 3349, the Army’s permanent physical profile, a credentialed profiling provider works through the form inside the e-Profile module of MODS: entering the medical condition, assigning a PULHES serial with a “P” prefix, answering six functional-activity questions, listing specific duty restrictions, and then routing the form for a second medical signature and commander acknowledgment. The clinical judgment behind each block matters more than the typing, so the work starts before anyone logs into the system.

Before You Open e-Profile

Pull the medical record together first. The profiling provider needs diagnostic imaging, lab results, specialist consultation notes, and treatment records that show what the Soldier can and cannot do in functional terms: weight limits for lifting, distance limits for marching, tolerance for prolonged standing. Those clinical details become the entries in the form’s restriction fields, so vague documentation produces a vague profile.

Diagnoses must be coded to ICD standards. Miscoding causes downstream administrative problems and can lead to incorrect duty assignments. All supporting documents get uploaded into e-Profile through the MODS portal at medpros.mods.army.mil.¹ System access requires DD Form 2875 and DD Form 2929 on file.

Confirm this is actually a permanent profile. A temporary profile can run up to 12 months for the same condition; beyond that, the provider must either resolve it or convert it to permanent. The trigger point is the Medical Retention Decision Point (MRDP): the condition has stabilized, or clearly will not stabilize within the 12-month window, and the limitation still affects duty performance.² Some diagnoses are automatically permanent on first identification because they fail retention standards under AR 40-501 by definition, and those go straight to a Disability Evaluation System referral.³

Civilian Records for Reserve and Guard Soldiers

Reserve and National Guard Soldiers treated by civilian providers face a stricter documentation rule. Civilian records must come in on either a DA Form 7809 (Summary of Care by Civilian Provider) or a signed letter on the provider’s letterhead. The letter has to include the diagnosis, imaging reports, lab results, treatments given, and a prognosis. All civilian documentation must be dated within the past 60 days. A prescription pad note will not do, and chiropractor letters are accepted only for temporary musculoskeletal conditions.⁴

Working Through the Blocks

The system-generated version of the form (DA Form 3349-SG) flows from clinical findings to command action. The profiling provider handles the clinical blocks, then approval and command sections follow. What goes in each block:

Block 1, Medical Condition. A plain-language description of the condition, noting whether it stems from an injury or an illness or disease.
Block 3, PULHES Serial. The six-factor rating, marked with a “P” prefix to designate the profile as permanent.
Block 5, Functional Activities. Six yes-or-no questions about core combat tasks. Any “no” answer should be reflected as at least a 3 in the relevant PULHES factor.⁵
Block 10, Other Limitations. Specific, measurable restrictions: maximum running distance, maximum time standing, lifting limits, marching distance with field gear, and similar constraints. This is where vague clinical notes get turned into numbers a commander can act on.
Block 11, Administrative Flags. Whether the Soldier needs an MEB/PEB or an MOS Medical Retention Board, and, for permanent profiles, whether the condition meets retention standards under AR 40-501.
Blocks 12–18, Provider and Approval Authority Signatures. The profiling officer signs first; the approval authority reviews and signs second.
Blocks 19–23, Commander Section. The unit commander’s acknowledgment, comments on duty impact, and signature.
Blocks 24–26, Administrative Data. Soldier identification, unit, and issuing clinic contact information.

Permanent restrictions appear in bold on the form once generated.⁶

Assigning the PULHES Serial

PULHES captures the Soldier’s overall physical condition in six factors:⁷

P — Physical capacity and stamina.
U — Upper extremities.
L — Lower extremities.
H — Hearing and ears.
E — Eyes.
S — Psychiatric.

Each factor gets a number from 1 to 4. A 1 is full functional capacity with no limitations. A 2 indicates some limitation that does not prevent most duties. A 3 signals substantial limitations, though the Soldier may still serve in some capacity. A 4 is the most severe restriction. On a permanent profile, any factor rated 3 or 4 triggers additional administrative action, including possible DES referral.⁸

The ratings do not exist in a vacuum. Every MOS carries minimum PULHES requirements, and combat arms specialties demand higher ratings than administrative jobs. When a permanent profile falls below the minimum for the Soldier’s MOS, they face reclassification or a retention board.

Answering the Six Functional Activity Questions

Block 5 is where the profile becomes actionable for commanders. The provider answers yes or no to each of these:⁵

Carry and fire an individually assigned weapon.
Move with a fighting load of at least 48 pounds — including helmet, boots, body armor, weapon, and protective mask — for at least two miles.
Wear a protective mask and all chemical defense equipment.
Construct an individual fighting position (dig, fill, and lift sandbags).
Perform 3-to-5-second rushes under direct and indirect fire.
Deploy without a medical condition that prevents it.

The provider marks an “N” in the column for any activity the Soldier cannot perform. A single “N” changes the Soldier’s deployability status, may drive a retention board, and will likely affect ACFT requirements. It should also line up with a PULHES factor of 3 or higher in the affected area.

Getting the Profile Signed

Two medical signatures are required before a permanent profile is valid. The profiling provider signs first. For a P2 profile that does not affect deployment status, any physician in the relevant specialty can sign as the second reviewer. For a P3 or P4 profile, or any profile that assigns a deployment-limiting physical category code, the second signature must come from a designated approval authority.³

The approval authority checks that the clinical evidence supports the ratings, that the PULHES numbers match the functional findings, and that MRDP criteria are met. A P3 or P4 profile is not valid until the approval authority has signed. A P2 profile is valid from the first signature, and stays in a pending status until the second signature is applied or it expires.³

Routing to the Commander

Once medically complete, the profile routes electronically to the unit commander through the Commander’s Portal. Commanders have 14 days from issuance to review it.⁹ The commander completes Blocks 19 through 23 and must select one of three statements about duty impact:

The limitations do not affect the Soldier’s ability to perform basic Soldier duties or MOS duties in a worldwide field environment.
The limitations affect the Soldier’s ability to perform MOS duties but not basic Soldier duties.
The limitations affect the Soldier’s ability to perform basic Soldier duties in a worldwide field environment.

The third statement is the most serious, because it signals the Soldier may not be retainable in any MOS without further evaluation. A commander who thinks the profile is unclear, too restrictive, or not restrictive enough can contact the profiling provider or the battalion or brigade surgeon and request clarification or re-evaluation. Commanders cannot unilaterally change the medical restrictions.⁸

For any permanent profile, the commander also ensures a copy goes to the servicing personnel service battalion for inclusion in the Soldier’s official military records. A Soldier carrying a P3 or P4 must be flagged and referred to either an MOS Medical Retention Board or a Medical Evaluation Board.

One point of confusion worth flagging: a permanent profile does not automatically make a Soldier non-deployable. Deployability is a separate command decision made through the Commander’s Portal in coordination with the supporting medical facility, and deployment medical waivers are handled independently from the profile itself.⁹

What the Completed Form Triggers

A P3 or P4 permanent profile sets administrative machinery in motion. Unless the profiling officer has already referred the case directly to a Medical Evaluation Board, the Soldier must appear before an MOS Medical Retention Board (MMRB) within 60 days of the approval authority’s signature. The MMRB screens whether the Soldier can still perform MOS duties in a worldwide field environment despite the permanent limitations.⁸

The MMRB can recommend one of four outcomes: retain in current MOS, reclassify to a different MOS, place on probationary status for up to six months with rest and rehabilitation before reconvening, or refer to the DES. A Soldier who disagrees has two duty days to submit a written rebuttal to the convening authority, who makes the final call.⁸

When the permanent profile also fails retention standards under AR 40-501, the case enters the DES. The DA Form 3349 is the foundational document for that referral — the primary evidence that the Soldier cannot meet duty standards.¹⁰ Sloppy or vague entries on the form show up here as delays and rework, which is why the block-by-block detail matters as much as it does.

Keeping the Profile Current

A permanent profile does not need to be rewritten when a Soldier changes duty stations. It does need to be reviewed at every annual periodic health assessment, and updated to reflect any clinical change. If the condition improves enough that the restrictions no longer fit, the provider downgrades the profile. If it worsens, the provider updates the form, which may trigger a fresh MMRB or DES referral. The older February 2004 version of the form referenced review at each periodic physical or after five years from issue.⁵ Under current practice through DA PAM 40-502, the annual health assessment is the standard review interval.

1
Eisenhower Army Medical Center. e-Profile
2
Defense Health Agency. DA Form 3349 Army Permanent Physical Profile
3
Army Publishing Directorate. DA PAM 40-502 Medical Services Medical Readiness Procedures
4
U.S. Army Reserve. AR-MMC Profile Request Packet
5
U.S. Army Publishing Directorate. DA Form 3349 – Physical Profile
6
U.S. Army. DA Form 3349 – Physical Profile Record
7
The United States Army. Managing the Health of the Force: A Primer for Company Leaders – Section: PROFILES
8
United States Army. Army in Europe Pamphlet 40-501 – Guide for Physical Profiling, MOS/Medical Retention Boards, Medical Evaluation Boards, and Physical Evaluation Boards
9
21st Theater Sustainment Command. IG Update: Guidance on Medical Profiles and Command Authorities
10
U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Medical Boards (Disability Evaluation System (DES)) – Section: Entry into the DES