How to Upgrade Your Military Discharge | Army Discharge Review Board Explained

Want to correct your military record or upgrade your discharge status? Here’s how.
In this video, military defense attorneys from the Law Office of Will M. Helixon explain the Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) and Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) — including who qualifies, what each board does, and how a discharge upgrade can unlock critical veterans benefits like the GI Bill, VA healthcare, and more.

You’ll also learn why building a compelling appeal is essential and how we help clients craft persuasive, complete applications that speak to the real people sitting on these boards.

Learn more or contact the team today: https://helixongroup.com

▬▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 – Why Veterans Want to Fix Their Military Records
0:14 – What the Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) Can Actually Change
0:46 – Time Limits and Eligibility for ADRB Review
1:17 – What Happens If ADRB Denies Your Case
1:40 – How Policy Changes Open the Door for Corrections
2:11 – What Outcomes the ADRB Can Grant (Full, Partial, or None)
2:31 – Why Discharge Status Affects Your VA and GI Bill Benefits
3:14 – What a Strong ADRB Appeal Needs to Include
3:49 – Why Personal Narrative and Storytelling Matter

Partial Verbatim Transcript of How to Upgrade Your Military Discharge - Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB) Explained.

Will M. Helixon (00:00):
We get a lot of calls from people who want to correct their military records. This is wrong with it, that is wrong with it. I should have been medically retired. There is a particular board in each service, but we will talk about the Army, which is called the Army Discharge Review Board [to upgrade discharges]. What do they do?

Kyle Meisner (00:17):
The Army Discharge Review Board looks at the narrative of a discharge, the reason for the discharge, and the characterization of the discharge [upgrade discharges]. And they can make corrections if the corrections are warranted.

Will M. Helixon (00:32):
Seems like a very limited scope.

Kyle Meisner (00:34):
It is. It's incredibly limited. And the other types of things that you might want to correct on your military record would be at the ABCMR or the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.

Will M. Helixon (00:45):
Alright, so the Army Discharge Review Board just says, hey, the characterization was right or wrong. The narrative - saying why you were kicked out - is right or wrong. And that's it.

Kyle Meisner (00:54):
That's it? Yes. And it's also important to note that it's only if you've been discharged fairly recently, within the last 15 years. If your discharge is older than that. If you're a Vietnam-era veteran, this is not the board for you. That's the ABCMR.

Will M. Helixon (01:09):
Alright. If you want a quick and dirty answer, and nothing's really quick and dirty with boards...

Kyle Meisner (01:15):
Nothing's quick and dirty...

Will M. Helixon (01:16):
You would go to the Army Discharge Review Board [for a characterization or discharge upgrade].

Kyle Meisner (01:18):
That's correct. And if you still don't get the relief you're looking for at the Army Discharge Review Board, you still have the option to then go to the ABCMR, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records and ask the same question again.

Your career deserves Warrior Justice™:

• Upgrade Discharge Evaluation – We analyze your chances of a discharge upgrade.
• Regulatory Analysis – We review regulations and policies to justify a discharge upgrade.
• Characterization Analysis – Fight for Honorable Discharges vs General Discharge and Other than Honorable Discharge (OTH).
• Equity and Injustice Arguments – In-depth arguments to demonstrate the unfairness, inequity, and injustice in General Discharges and Other Than Honorable Discharges.

Services Provided

• Administrative Separation Board (ASB) Defense
• Officer Boards of Inquiry (BOI) Defense
• GOMOR Rebuttals and Responses
• Article 15 Rebuttals and Appeals
• Retirement Protection
• GOMOR Rebuttals (10-Day Crisis Response)
• Reprimand Appeals and Challenges
• Removal of GOMORs from AMHRRs (DASEB)
• Correction of Military Records (BCMR Appeals)
• Court-Martial Defense
• Command-Directed Investigation Defense
• Adverse Findings Responses (AAIP)
• Referred and Poor Evaluation Appeals
• Security Clearance Revocation Responses

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