The Naval Discharge Review Board is a board established by Congress the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary o ...

before which members of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

can challenge the propriety of the terms of their discharge from the military. It is located at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...

. 10 U.S.C. § 1553 required the Secretaries of all branches of the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

to "establish a board of review, consisting of five members, to review the discharge or dismissal (other than a discharge or dismissal by sentence of a general court-martial) of any former member of an armed force under the jurisdiction of his department upon its own motion or upon the request of the former member or, if he is dead, his surviving spouse, next of kin, or legal representative." As such, the Naval Discharge Review Board was created by the

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States D ...

by SECNAVINST 5420.174D. The purpose of reviews conducted by the board is to determine whether a discharge was granted in the proper manner, and to determine if a given discharge is fair / equitable in light of the regulations that were in effect at the time of the discharge. The board does not have the authority to reinstate a member to service. The Review Board has broad powers to correct any impropriety or inequity even if it only has preponderance of such impropriety or inequity. The Naval Discharge Review Board does not have the authority to review discharges that occurred more than 15 previously or that were the result of a sentence awarded by a

General Court Martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. If more than 15 years from discharge have passed, applicants must apply to the Board for Correction of Naval Records using Form DD-149. Periodically the Office of Management and Budget's approval on Form DD-293 expires and months will pass before a new one is approved. The Naval Discharge Review Board is a member of the

Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards The Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards (CORB) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy that reviews cases, conducts hearings, and renders decisions on behalf of the United States Secretary of the Navy. It was ...

and is overseen by the

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (abbreviated as ASN M&RA) is a civilian office in the United States Department of the Navy. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) reports to the Under ...

References

Naval Discharge Review Board website

;Notes United States Navy organization {{USN-stub