DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS 

 
Application for the Correction of 
the Coast Guard Record of: 
 
                                                                                BCMR Docket No. 2005-134 
 
XXXXXXXXXXX 
Xxx xx xxxx, SNOS (former) 
   

 

 
 

FINAL DECISION 

 
AUTHOR: Hale, D. 
 
 
This  proceeding  was  conducted  according  to  the  provisions  of  section  1552  of 
title 10 and section 425 of title 14 of the United States Code.  The Chair docketed the 
case on July 5, 2005, upon receipt of the applicant’s completed application and military 
records. 
 
 
members who were designated to serve as the Board in this case. 
 

This final decision, dated April 26, 2006, is signed by the three duly appointed 

APPLICANT’S REQUEST AND ALLEGATIONS 

 
 
The applicant, a former seaman operations specialist (SNOS) in the Coast Guard, 
asked the Board to correct his military record by upgrading the reenlistment code on his 
discharge form (DD 214) so that he would be eligible to reenlist.  He was discharged on 
December 17, 2003, with an RE-4 reenlistment code (ineligible for reenlistment), a JFX 
separation code (unsuitable for service due to a personality disorder), and “Personality 
Disorder” as the narrative reason for separation shown on his DD 214. 
 
 
The  applicant  stated  that  he  was  improperly  discharged  for  a  personality 
disorder because he was, in fact, diagnosed with an anxiety and adjustment disorder.  
He  alleged  that  he  no  longer  suffers  from  any  anxiety  or  adjustment  disorder  and 
would like to reenlist in the Coast Guard. 

 

SUMMARY OF THE RECORD 

 

On  June  18,  2002,  the  applicant  enlisted  in  the  Coast  Guard  for  a  term  of  four 
years.  After completing recruit training he was assigned to a Coast Guard icebreaker.  
Between  November  2002  and  January  2003,  the  applicant  was  evaluated  numerous 
times by medical personnel aboard the cutter for complaints of panic attacks, anxiety, 
depression, and a general difficulty adjusting to life in the Coast Guard.  On September 
16, 2003, the applicant was seen by a psychologist at the Madigan Army Medical Center 
(MAMC) who conducted a mental examination, the findings of which were noted in a 
Report of Mental Status Evaluation.  The examination was requested by the applicant’s 
command because he was being considered for  discharge after exhibiting a variety of 
depressive  and  anxiety  symptoms.    Following  his  examination  of  the  applicant,  the 
psychologist reported that the applicant should be discharged from the service because 

 
[The  applicant]  has  a  variety  of  depressive  and  anxiety  symptoms,  as  well  as 
known  history  of  phobias  and  anxieties.    These  all  pre-existed  his  enlistment, 
have been the focus of his trips to medical clinics for this entire past year and are 
not  responding  so  far  to  supportive  medical  interventions.    While  he  does 
manifest  some  thoughts  of  self-harm,  he  is  not  acutely  homicidal/suicidal  in  a 
way  that  meets  the  criteria  for  referral  admission  to  the  inpatient  psychiatry 
ward. … 

 
 
On  October  7,  2003,  the  applicant’s  commanding  officer  (CO)  formally  notified 
him that he was initiating his discharge under Article 12.B.16.b.2. of the Coast Guard 
Personnel Manual because he had been diagnosed as having a behavior disorder and an 
anxiety disorder.  The CO also notified him that he was entitled to submit a statement 
on his own behalf.  The record also contains an unsigned endorsement dated October 7, 
2003,  on  which  the  applicant  apparently  acknowledged  the  CO’s  notification  of 
proposed  discharge,  waived  his  right  to  submit  a  statement,  and  waived  his  right  to 
consult with an attorney.  The CO also noted that the applicant chose not to submit a 
statement in his own behalf.   
 
 
Also  on  October  7,  2003,  the  CO  recommended  to  the  Coast  Guard  Personnel 
Command (CGPC) that the applicant be honorably discharged for unsuitability, based 
on  his  diagnosed  anxiety  disorder. 
  The  CO  wrote  that  a  psychologist  had 
recommended the applicant for discharge and that this recommendation was approved 
by a psychiatrist.  
 
 
In  November  2003,  CGPC  authorized  the  CO  to  discharge  the  applicant,  in 
accordance  with  Article  12.B.16.,  no  later  than  December  17,  2003,  with  an  honorable 
discharge  by  reason  of  unsuitability,  and  with  the  “appropriate  narrative  reason  for 
discharge found in the separation program designator [SPD] handbook.”  The applicant 
was  discharged  on  December  17,  2003,  with  the  JFX  separation  code,  an  RE-4 
reenlistment code, and “Personality Disorder” as the narrative reason for separation. 
 

 
Prior to filing his application with the Board, the applicant submitted a request to 
the Coast Guard’s Discharge Review Board (DRB) for the same relief requested from the 
BCMR.    On  July  26,  2004,  the  DRB  denied  the  applicant's  request,  stating  that  his 
discharge had been carried out in accordance with Coast Guard policy.  Specifically, the 
DRB  noted  that  the  applicant  had  been  diagnosed  with  “a  personality  disorder  by 
competent medical authority based upon a 12-month observation period.  The applicant 
provides no documentation indicating a condition no longer exists.”  On September 13, 
2004, the Commandant reviewed the DRB’s decision and approved its finding that the 
applicant’s discharge was proper. 
 

 

VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 

 
On  November  15,  2005,  the  Judge  Advocate  General  (JAG)  of  the Coast  Guard 
submitted  an  advisory  opinion  recommending  that  the  Board  grant  partial  relief  by 
correcting the applicant’s DD 214 to show a different separation authority, separation 
code, reentry code, and narrative reason for separation.   
 
 
The  JAG  relied  on  a  memorandum  from  CGPC  concerning  the  applicant’s 
request.    CGPC  recommended  that  partial  relief  be  granted,  and  stated  that  the 
applicant’s  discharge  did  not  conform  to  the  diagnosis  provided  by  the  psychologist 
and psychiatrist who evaluated him and recommended his discharge.  CGPC noted that 
the applicant was diagnosed with an anxiety and adjustment disorder, but his DD 214 
states that the reason for separation was a personality disorder.  CGPC further stated, 
“absent any record of any psychological diagnosis stating such, I must assume that the 
decision  to  discharge  the  applicant  due  to  personality  disorder  was  in  error.”    CGPC 
alleged that the applicant is harmed by the continued assignment of the JFX separation 
code  and  the  RE-4  reenlistment  code  because  they  prevent  the  applicant  from  being 
considered for service in any branch of the U.S. military.  
 

CGPC  recommended  that  four  changes  be  made  to  the  applicant’s  DD  214.  It 
recommended  that  the  separation  authority  be  changed  from  Article  12.B.16  of  the 
Personnel Manual, to Article 12.B.12., that the separation code be changed to JFV,1 that 
the  reenlistment  code  be  changed  to  RE-3G,2  and  that  the  narrative  reason  for 
separation be changed to “Condition, Not a Disability.” 
 

APPLICANT’S RESPONSE TO THE VIEWS OF THE COAST GUARD 

 
 
On November 17, 2005, the BCMR sent the applicant a copy of the views of the 
Coast Guard and invited him to respond within 30 days.  He responded on November 
22, 2005, stating that he did not object to the Coast Guard’s recommendation.   
 

APPLICABLE LAW 

 

Article  12.B.12.a.  of  the  Coast  Guard  Personnel  Manual  provides  that  the 
Commander may authorize or direct the separation of enlisted members for a number 
of  reasons,  including  a  condition,  not  a  physical  disability,  that  interferes  with  the 
performance of duty. 

 

                                                 
1 JFV is used to denote an involuntary separation when a condition, not a physical disability, interferes 
with the performance of duty.  SPD Code Handbook, page 2-5. 
2 An RE-3G means that a veteran is eligible for reenlistment if he can satisfy military recruiters that he no 
longer has the condition for which he was originally discharged.   
 

Chapter 5.B.2. of the Coast Guard Medical Manual lists the personality disorders 
for which a member may be separated.  Adjustment disorders are not included and are 
addressed in Chapter 5.B.3 of the Manual, which states that adjustment disorders “are 
generally  treatable  and  not  usually  grounds  for  separation,”  but  that  members  with 
adjustment  disorders  may  be  administratively  discharged  “when  these  conditions 
persist or treatment is likely to be prolonged or non-curative (e.g. inability to adjust to 
military life …).”   
 

Chapter 3.F.16.d. of the Medical Manual states that adjustment disorders “do not 
render  an  individual  unfit  because  of  physical  impairment.    However,  if  these 
conditions are recurrent and interfere with military duty, are not amenable to treatment, 
or require prolonged treatment, administrative separation should be recommended (see 
Section 5-B).”  
 
 
Article 1.E. of the Coast Guard Instruction for completing discharge forms states 
that  a  member’s  DD  214  should  show  a  separation  code  and  reenlistment  code  “as 
shown in the SPD Handbook or as stated by [CGPC] in the message granting discharge 
authority.”    The  narrative  reason  for  separation  on  the  DD  214  must  be  whatever  is 
specified by CGPC. 
 
 
reasons for separation, which might apply to the applicant’s case: 
 

The SPD Handbook includes the following combinations of codes and narrative 

SPD 
Code 
JFX 

Narrative Reason 
for Separation 
Personality 
Disorder 

JFV 

Condition, Not a 
Disability 

RE-4 or 
RE-3G 

12.B.12 

 

RE Code 
RE-4 or 
RE-3G 

Separation 
Authority 
12.B.16 

 
Explanation 
Involuntarily discharge [by direction] when a 
personality disorder exists, not amounting to a 
disability, which potentially interferes with 
assignment to or performance of duty. 
Involuntarily discharge [by direction] when a 
condition, not a physical disability, interferes 
with the performance of duty (Enuresis, motion 
sickness, allergy, obesity, fear of flying, et al.) 

 
Under Article 12.B.4. of the Personnel Manual, a member’s commanding officer 
 
has authority to decide which of the permissible RE codes listed in the SPD Handbook 
is assigned to the member. 
 

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS 

 
 
The  Board  makes  the  following  findings  and  conclusions  on  the  basis  of  the 
applicant's  military  record  and  submissions,  the  Coast  Guard's  submissions,  and 
applicable law: 
 

1. 

The Board has jurisdiction in this case pursuant to section 1552 of title 10 

of the United States Code.  The application was timely.   

 
2. 

The Board notes that the applicant is not contesting his discharge from the 
Coast Guard; he is only seeking a change in his reenlistment code so he may be allowed 
to reenlist and he alleged that the narrative reason for his discharge was erroneous.  The 
applicant’s DD 214 indicates that he was discharged because of a personality disorder 
and  given  an  RE-4  reenlistment  code.    However,  the  record  indicates  and  the  Coast 
Guard admits that the applicant was never diagnosed with a personality disorder.  As 
the  Coast  Guard  stated,  “Condition,  Not  a  Disability”  would  be  more  appropriate  in 
this  case  because  the  applicant  was  discharged  due  to  an  adjustment  disorder,  not  a 
personality disorder.  The separation code for “Condition, Not a Disability” is JFV, not 
JFX.   

 
3. 

The SPD Handbook permits an RE-3G reenlistment code as well as an RE-
4 for a discharge resulting from an adjustment disorder characterized as a “Condition, 
Not  a  Disability.”    The  RE-4  code  is  a  permanent  bar  to  reenlistment,  but  an  RE-3G 
would require the applicant to satisfy a recruiting command that he no longer suffers 
from  his  adjustment  disorder  before  he  would  be  allowed  to  reenlist.    Adjustment 
disorders are not permanent according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), 
which the Coast Guard relies on.  In addition, the DSM indicates that neither anxiety 
disorders  nor  adjustment  disorders  are  personality  disorders.    The  applicant  alleged 
that  he  does  not,  nor  did  he  ever  have,  a  personality  disorder  and  would  like  to  be 
given the opportunity to reenlist in the Coast Guard.  Therefore, the Board agrees with 
the Coast Guard that the applicant’s RE code should be upgraded to RE-3G. 

   
4. 

The  JAG  and  CGPC  recommended  that  the  applicant’s  DD  214  be 
corrected  to  cure  these  inaccuracies.    The  Board  agrees.    Given  the  applicant’s 
diagnosed anxiety and adjustment disorder and the provisions of the SPD Handbook, 
the  Coast  Guard  should  have  assigned  him  the  JFV  separation  code  for  having  a 
condition that precludes military service but does not amount to a physical disability.  
The  applicant  was  diagnosed  with  an  anxiety  and  adjustment  disorder  and  his  CO 
recommended his discharge pursuant to Article 12.B.12.a. of the Personnel manual, but 
his DD 214 indicates that he was discharged because he had a “Personality Disorder.”  
This error, in turn, caused his DD 214 to reflect an incorrect separation authority and 
narrative reason for separation.  The article of the Personnel Manual that authorizes the 
separation of a member with a condition that is not a disability, is Article 12.B.12, rather 
than 12.B.16.  
 

5. 

In  light  of  the  applicant’s  diagnosis  and  the  JAG’s  recommendation,  the 
Board finds that it would be in the interest of justice to correct the applicant’s separation 
code to JFV, correct his narrative reason for separation to “Condition, Not a Disability,” 
and correct the separation authority shown on his DD 214 to Article 12.B.12. of the Per-
sonnel Manual.  In addition, his reenlistment code should be corrected to RE-3G.   
 

 
 
 
 

[ORDER AND SIGNATURES APPEAR ON NEXT PAGE]

ORDER 

 

The  application  of  former  SNOS  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX,  USCG,  for 

correction of his military record is granted as follows: 

 
Block 25 shall be corrected to show Article 12.B.12. of the Personnel Manual as 
the separation authority. 

 
 
 
 
 

Block 26 shall be corrected to show JFV as the separation code. 

Block 27 shall be corrected to show RE-3G as the reenlistment code. 

Block 28 shall be corrected to show “Condition, Not a Disability” as the narrative 
reason for separation. 
 
The  Coast  Guard  shall  issue  the  applicant  a  new  DD  214  reflecting  these 
corrected  entries.    The  following  notation  may  be  made  in  Block  18  of  the  DD  214:  
“Action taken pursuant to order of BCMR.” 

 
 
   

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 
 Bruce D. Burkley 

 

 

 
 J. Carter Robertson 

 

 

 

 

 
 George A. Weller