DD 214-1 Guard Info

What is the DD 214-1?

Military members that spend their entire career on active duty get a DD 214 when they retire.  This one form captures their entire career on a single piece of paper - awards/decorations, assignments, date then entered and left service, total time served, rank at retirement, etc.  Until recently, this was not the case for service members who did some time in the Guard or Reserves, maybe in addition to time on active duty. They frequently had a hodgepodge of separation forms that could frequently pose problems for them when trying to access various veteran’s benefits. Part-time troops are typically only issued regular DD-214s when they complete an active-duty tour of 90 or more days. Before the Global War on Terrorism drastically increased the pace of reserve/guard component deployments, some members could go their entire careers, or even retire, without earning one at any point after their initial training.

To address this issue, the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Sections 569-570 of Public Law 116-92, directed the Department of Defense to establish and implement a standard record of service for members of the Reserve/Guard components. This new form is the DD 214-1, which captures all Selected Reserve/Guard periods. National Guard and Reserve members who are separated from their component while in a reserve status and when transferred to the Inactive National Guard/Individual Ready Reserve (ING/IRR) will receive the DD 214-1 in conjunction with the DD 214.

This new form will document total career points, total active and inactive service, and non-regular retirement (NRR) calculations. It will provide a detailed list of activations, noting whether each qualifies for NRR eligibility age reduction, allowing Reserve/Guard members with enough active service to retire with pay sooner than age 60.

The DD Form 214-1 is an official summary record of career points and service for those leaving the Reserve/Guard Component. In compliance with DOD Instruction 1336.01, the Services were required to start issuing the Certificate of Uniformed Service (Reserve Component Addendum) in Feb 2025 for Reserve/Guard members separating, retiring, or transitioning into the Individual Ready Reserve or Standby Reserve.

This change should ensure that each service member gets every benefit they are owed with the least amount of bureaucratic pain or time to get those benefits.  The new form will show when a retiring service member is eligible to start collecting their non-regular retired pay, which a member can’t receive until age 60 without qualifying service. Previously, retired service members were responsible for tracking this date and doing the math themselves, so they’d know when to submit their request to turn on their retirement pay and benefits.

To ensure an accurate DD-214-1 and the correct entitlements, Reserve/Guard members preparing to separate should continually review their retirement points, and submit accurate and timely separation or retirement requests at least 60 days before they leave the Service.

Reserve/Guard members will still receive the DD-214, or Certificate of Uniformed Service, for every individual active duty service period during their careers. Members will have copies of both forms in their Official Military Personnel File.