What the records check covers

How it works

1. 1

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   Your points statement, the PDF you print from your vMPF Record Review page, the DMDC service report and your orders. We never ask for CAC or portal logins.

2. 2

   We check them against the rules

   Each line says what the record shows, what the rule says, and the arithmetic in between.

3. 3

   Take one list to your RSO or MPS

   A dated report with a table of every item and the document that settles it.

Every rule, with its source

These are the rule tables the check runs, printed straight from the code. Rule IDs stay fixed, so a report line like "P5" always means the same rule.

Points audit (13 rules, P1–P13)

ID	Rule	Source
P1	A qualifying (good) year is an anniversary year with at least 50 retirement points; a partial year (break in service) needs the prorated minimum in DoDI Table 1	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2); DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.1.a, ¶3.1.e(2), Table 1; DAFMAN 36-2136 ¶2.3.2 (AFR)
P2	Membership points: 15 for a full year in an active status, prorated by days in status for a partial year (1-12 days = 0 ... 353-365/366 = 15); not reduced for reserve active service, but not credited for days as a member of a regular (active) component	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2)(C)(iii); DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.4.d, ¶3.4.f(4), Table 2; DAFMAN 36-2136 ¶2.2.2 (AFR)
P3	For retired pay, points from drills, membership and other non-active activities count only up to 60 a year (year closing before Sep 23, 1996), 75 (closing on/after Sep 23, 1996), 90 (on/after Oct 30, 2000) or 130 (on/after Oct 30, 2007); active-service days and funeral-honors points are not capped	10 U.S.C. 12733(3)(A)-(D); DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.4.f(1); DoD FMR 7B Ch 1 ¶4.7.3; DAFMAN 36-2136 ¶2.3.1 (AFR)
P4	At most 365 points (366 in a leap year) count in an anniversary year, at most 2 points in any calendar day, and 1 point per day of active service; a statement total above the yearly maximum is cut to it in the points for retirement	DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.4.f(2), (3), (5); DAFMAN 36-2136 ¶2.3.1 (AFR); ANGI 36-2001 ¶3.10.1, ¶3.13.1 (ANG: a 4-hour IDT period is 1 point, at most 2 a day; points-only IDT at least 2 hours)
P5	Points sit in the year the duty was performed: boards do not move points between anniversary years to make a good year, so a year of 42-49 points is a near miss worth checking for duty that posted late or to the wrong year	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2); AFBCMR BC-2016-04824, BC-2021-01698, BC-2024-01263
P6	A year with no points at all between years with points is unusual: it may be a posting gap (unit paperwork not loaded) rather than a year with no participation	DAFMAN 36-2136 ¶4.12.1.5 (AFR: non-paid points must be processed into UTAPS or PCARS no later than two months after the retention/retirement closeout to be credited for satisfactory service); ANGI 36-2001 ¶3.13.2, ¶3.14 (ANG: points-only IDT recorded on ANG Form 105S and forwarded to the FSS when AROWS cannot be used); AFBCMR BC-2021-01698, BC-2025-00362; ABCMR AR20240008777
P7	Active service earns one point per day, so the active points posted to a year can't be lower than the days of active-duty orders or DMDC activation periods that fall in it	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2)(A); DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.4.a, ¶3.4.f(3)
P8	The statement's satisfactory-service flag must agree with the 50-point test on the year's own points	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2); DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.1.a
P9	Cadet, midshipman and ROTC time is not creditable service: active points before the enlistment or commissioning date, or an anniversary date that excludes cadet time, need a records check	DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.1.d; 10 U.S.C. 2106(c), 12732(b)(4); ABCMR AR20240008486
P10	Points creditable for retired pay = active days + capped non-active points, summed over all years (points in non-qualifying years count); years = points / 360 to 3 decimals, rounded to 2	10 U.S.C. 12733; DoD FMR 7B Ch 3 ¶2.5.2 (4,735 points = 13.152 = 13.15 years)
P11	Each point adds 1/360 of a year at 2.5% (BRS 2.0%) of the High-3 to monthly retired pay; the dollar effect of a gap is points / 360 x rate x High-3, before the whole-dollar rounding of the final figure	10 U.S.C. 12739(a), (d), (f); DoD FMR 7B Ch 3 ¶2.5.2, ¶2.9.1
P12	The anniversary date stays fixed unless there is a break in service; duty performed after the year closes lands in the next year, so a year that is short near its closeout can't be rescued by later duty	DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.1.c; AFBCMR BC-2023-01041
P13	Active points posted above the days on orders and activation periods for the year mean either an order wasn't listed or points were posted for duty not performed (a cancelled or shortened order); the point count can be adjusted on audit even after the 20-year letter, so the extra points are a review item, not a credit to count on	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2)(A), 12738(b); DoDI 1215.07 ¶3.4.a, ¶3.4.f(3)

Retirement timing (17 rules, T1–T17)

ID	Rule	Source
T1	Age 60 reduced 3 months per aggregate of 90 qualifying days in a fiscal year after Jan 28, 2008, or in two consecutive fiscal years after Sep 30, 2014; a day counts in only one aggregate	10 U.S.C. 12731(f)(2)(A)
T2	Qualifying duty: 12301(d), 12304b, contingency provisions in 101(a)(13)(B), 32 U.S.C. 502(f) for a presidential emergency or federally funded response, 12301(h)(1) follow-on; not 12310 (AGR)	10 U.S.C. 12731(f)(2)(B); 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)(B)
T3	Eligibility age may not be reduced below 50	10 U.S.C. 12731(f)(2)(C)
T4	Pay may start on the eligibility date or the first day of any later month the retiree elects	DoD FMR 7B Ch 1 ¶9.1.4 (Aug 2025); BRS policy (Jan 2017) Att. 1 ¶7.a
T5	High-3 uses pay tables and longevity for the 36 months before pay begins, including gray-area time; a member discharged instead of transferred to the Retired Reserve is frozen at discharge rates	10 U.S.C. 1407(d); DoD FMR 7B Ch 1 ¶2.2.2, Ch 3 ¶2.5.1.2-2.5.1.3
T6	Years = points / 360 (to 3 decimals, rounded to 2); 2.5% per year (BRS 2.0%); cap 75% (BRS 60%)	10 U.S.C. 12733, 12739(a), (c), (f); DoD FMR 7B Ch 3 ¶2.5.2
T7	Retired pay and each COLA are rounded down to the whole dollar	10 U.S.C. 12739(d); DoD FMR 7B Ch 29 ¶6.8.3
T8	The first COLA is prorated by the quarter pay began	10 U.S.C. 1401a(d); DoD FMR 7B Ch 8 ¶5.17.1.2
T9	A later start can never pay less than the earlier start plus its COLAs	10 U.S.C. 1401a(f)(2)
T10	Retiree TRICARE starts at 60 whatever the pay age; TRICARE Retired Reserve before that	10 U.S.C. 1074(b)(2), 1086(c), 1076e; tricare.mil TRR costs (CY2026)
T11	RCSBP gray-area premium runs from the date age and service are met, even if pay starts later; Option B annuity still starts at the member's 60th birthday	DoD FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶11.1, ¶4.2.2; 10 U.S.C. 1448(e)
T12	BRS lump sum (25% or 50% to full retirement age); election due 90 days before first eligibility; discount rate in effect on the pay-start date	10 U.S.C. 1415(b); BRS policy Att. 1 ¶7.a(3), Att. 2 ¶2.b
T13	Claims for back pay are limited to 6 years	31 U.S.C. 3702(b)(1)
T14	Yearly cap on drill, membership and similar points for pay: 60, 75 (year including Sep 23, 1996), 90 (year including Oct 30, 2000), 130 (year including Oct 30, 2007)	10 U.S.C. 12733(3)
T15	A good (satisfactory) year is at least 50 points in the anniversary year	10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2)
T16	Officers need 3 years in grade (O-5 and above) or 6 months (below) to retire in that grade	10 U.S.C. 1370a, 12771
T17	12304b was added to the RRA list effective Dec 20, 2019; earlier 12304b credit (reported 2025 DoD position) is not verified from a primary source	Pub. L. 116-92 §604

DD-214 owed (6 rules, O1–O6)

ID	Rule	Source
O1	A DD Form 214 is issued to an ARC member released from 90 or more continuous/consecutive calendar days of active duty (active duty, ADT, full-time training duty, ADSW/ADOS or an AGR tour) under Title 10 or 32 U.S.C. 502(f), 503 or 505	DAFI 36-3202 Table A2.1 Rule 3 and Note 1; ¶2.5.2.1.1
O2	Under 90 days, a DD Form 214 is still issued when the member was ordered to active duty in support of a DoD-named contingency operation for 30 days or more (the table) / for more than 30 days (¶2.5.2.1.1 and ¶2.2.1.2): the instruction disagrees with itself at exactly 30 days	DAFI 36-3202 Table A2.1 Rule 4; ¶2.5.2.1.1; ¶2.2.1.2; ¶3.3.3
O3	Continuity is counted in consecutive calendar days: back-to-back orders (the next starting the day after the last ends) form one continuous period; any day not on orders, including a drill day, breaks it	DAFI 36-3202 Table A2.1 Rule 3 ("continuous/consecutive calendar days")
O4	The unit FSS/MPF prepares the DD-214 for wing-assigned members whose records are available, including members who changed units; ARPC prepares it when the unit can no longer reach the record, for IMAs, and on retirement; AFPC/ARPC can direct issuance in other cases	DAFI 36-3202 ¶2.5.2.1.1.2-.3; ¶2.2.1.2; ¶3.2.2
O5	Title 32 duty other than 502(f), 503 and 505 (for example annual training under 502(a) or state active duty) is not in the Table A2.1 list, so no DD-214 is expected for it under this instruction	DAFI 36-3202 Table A2.1 Rule 3, column A
O6	A DD-214 on file should match a qualifying period; one that covers only part of a period, or no period at all, needs a records check (the member's copy may be a prior tour's, or dates may be wrong)	DAFI 36-3202 ¶3.2.1, Attachment 2; DD Form 214 blocks 12a-12b

Awards and decorations (10 rules, M1–M10)

ID	Rule	Source
M1	Air and Space Longevity Service Award: Reserve Component members are credited one award for each 4 years of satisfactory service creditable for retirement; an oak leaf cluster for each additional 4 years	DAFMAN 36-2806 A14.14.1.1, A14.14.3
M2	Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon: one credit per contingency deployment after Oct 1, 1999 of 45 consecutive or 90 nonconsecutive days in deployed status; oak leaf cluster per additional credit; gold border when in receipt of imminent danger or hostile fire pay on contingency/deployment orders	DAFMAN 36-2806 A14.13.1, A14.13.1.1.1, A14.13.3
M3	The ribbon is not awarded with another DoD or DAF campaign, expeditionary or service medal for the same period unless DoD or SecAF authorizes it	DAFMAN 36-2806 A14.13.1
M4	Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device: called to active duty under 10 U.S.C. 12301(a), 12302, 12304 or 12406 on/after Aug 1, 1990, or volunteered under 12301 for a designated contingency; all periods in one contingency count as one M device; one medal per member, numerals for later M awards	DAFMAN 36-2806 A13.16.1.1.2-.3, A13.16.1.2, A13.16.3, Table A13.12
M5	Armed Forces Reserve Medal (hourglass): 10 years of honorable Reserve Component service within 12 consecutive years, not counting regular (active component) service	DAFMAN 36-2806 A13.16.1.1.1
M6	Afghanistan Campaign Medal: 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days assigned, attached or detailed to a unit in Afghanistan, Sep 11, 2001-Aug 31, 2021; aircrew accrue a day per sortie into or over the area; a star per campaign phase with 1 or more days	DAFMAN 36-2806 A13.7.1, A13.7.2.1-.2, A13.7.4, Table A13.6; DoWM 1348.33 Vol 2 (Change 6, 2026) §ACM
M7	Iraq Campaign Medal: same 30/60-day test in Iraq (incl. 12 nm of water and the air space), Mar 19, 2003-Dec 31, 2011; a star per campaign phase with 1 or more days	DAFMAN 36-2806 A13.8.1, A13.8.2.1-.2, A13.8.4, Table A13.7
M8	Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal: 30 days (consecutive or not) in Iraq or Syria from Jun 15, 2014 (Iraq through Dec 31, 2026 under DoWM 1348.33 V2 Change 6 and the USD(P&R) memo of May 29, 2024; the DoWM period-of-award paragraph and DAFMAN A13.9.1.4.3 still say Dec 31, 2024, so Iraq service in 2025-2026 is a conflict to raise with the MPS; Syria continuing); a star per campaign phase with 1 or more days; never with the GWOT-EM or ACM for the same period	DoWM 1348.33 V2 Ch 6 (summary ¶c, §IRCM ¶c(2), ¶d(1)); DAFMAN 36-2806 A13.9.1.1, A13.9.1.4, A13.9.1.6, A13.9.3, Table A13.8
M9	Unit awards: members assigned or attached to the unit for at least 1 day of the award period who contributed to its mission are authorized the ribbon (commander validates on DAF Form 104); a parent organization's award is not automatically shared with subordinate units	DAFMAN 36-2806 3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.6
M10	The number of awards on the record (basic award plus devices) should equal what the rules support from the member's own records; an award on record that the documents provided don't support is marked for review, not removed	DAFMAN 36-2806 A14.14.3, A14.13.3, A13.7.4, A13.8.4, A13.9.3, Attachment 16

RCSBP and SBP facts (8 rules, S1–S8)

ID	Rule	Source
S1	A member married or with a dependent child when notified under 10 U.S.C. 12731(d) is an RCSBP participant unless they elect otherwise (with spouse concurrence where required) before the end of the 90-day period that begins on the day the NOE is received; the election is then irrevocable. For an NOE received on or after Jan 1, 2001, no election = Option C (immediate annuity), full base, spouse (and child); for an earlier NOE, no election = the decision deferred to the eligibility age. A member with no spouse or child at the NOE need not elect. DD 2656-5 is required for Options A, B and C alike. The last day is receipt + 89 days (the law counts the receipt day as day 1; the DFAS page says '90 days')	10 U.S.C. 1448(a)(2)(B), (a)(4)(B); FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶2.2, ¶2.4, ¶4.1, ¶5.1, ¶7.1; DoDI 1332.42 ¶3.1.d(3)-(4); DFAS RCSBP page
S2	Option A, Option B, a reduced base or child-only coverage needs the spouse's notarized concurrence, signed on or after the member's signature and inside the 90 days; without it the election is invalid and an immediate spouse annuity on full retired pay is established. The member's signature must be witnessed by someone other than the spouse or a beneficiary; an election by power of attorney is void; insurable-interest coverage is open only to a member with no spouse or dependent child	10 U.S.C. 1448(a)(3)(B)-(C); FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶3.4, ¶5.2.6-5.2.7.3, ¶7.2.3; FMR 7B Ch 43 ¶5.3.5.1; DoDI 1332.42 ¶4.2-4.3; DD 2656-5 Sections VIII-IX; DAFI 36-3006 ¶3.2.4
S3	Option A: no coverage in the gray area; the member elects SBP at the eligibility age, even below 60 (the form's 'until age 60' is older wording). Option B: the annuity starts on the later of the day after death and the member's 60th birthday, never at a reduced eligibility age. Option C: the day after death. The annuity is 55% of the base less the survivor's annuity premium deduction (.0001), rounded down to the dollar; for a death before the eligibility age the base is retired pay as of the death (C) or as of age 60 (B). A death before the NOE or inside the 90 days is covered automatically. Premium start and the age-60 rule: T11	10 U.S.C. 1447(6)(B); 1448(e), (f); 1450(b)(2), (j); 1451(a)(1)(A), (g)(2); FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶4.2.1-4.2.3, ¶11.1-11.2, ¶13.1.3-13.1.4, ¶14.1.1-14.1.3; DoDI 1332.42 ¶4.3.b, ¶10.4.a(2), ¶10.4.c
S4	The base amount is full retired pay or a dollar amount of at least $300 and below full (full if pay is under $300 or the figure exceeds it). A dollar election is converted to a percentage of retired pay 'as if of retirement age' on the election's effective date and rides retired pay from then on (300/1,000 = 30%; at $2,000 of retired pay the base is $600); it cannot be decreased later, needs spouse concurrence when below full, must be chosen inside the 90 days and cannot be reduced by court order after eligibility. CSB or a BRS lump sum does not lower it	10 U.S.C. 1447(6)(A)-(C); 1448(a)(3)(B)(iii); 1451(h)(1); FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶4.3-4.3.4, ¶10.2.1, ¶10.2.3; DoDI 1332.42 ¶3.2, ¶8.2-8.3; DD 2656-5 Section V
S5	Once retired pay starts: the standard spouse or former-spouse premium for a non-regular retiree is the lesser of 6.5% of the base and 2.5% of the threshold amount plus 10% of the base above it; the Reserve Component add-on is the base times the Actuary's rate for the option, coverage and age difference, reduced by the Figure 54-1 factor at a reduced eligibility age; child coverage adds a factor-table premium; insurable interest costs 10% plus 5% per full five years the beneficiary is younger, at most 40%. Premiums and the base rise with each retiree COLA, stop in months with no eligible spouse (the child add-on does not), come out of CRSC when retired pay is short, and are paid up after 360 months and age 70. The threshold and the Actuary's rates come from the published DoD tables unless the member's ARPC/DFAS estimate gives them	10 U.S.C. 1452(a)(1)(B), (a)(2)-(3), (b)(3), (c), (d)(2)-(3), (h), (j); FMR 7B Ch 45 ¶2.4, ¶3.1-3.4, ¶4.2-4.3, ¶5.1-5.4, ¶8.1, Table 45-1; FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶8.0-10.2.3, ¶12.3, Figure 54-1, Table 54-1; DoDI 1332.42 ¶8.4, ¶9.1-9.6; DAFI 36-3006 Figures 3.1-3.4; DFAS RCSBP page
S6	After the NOE: a member with no spouse or child at the NOE has one year from a marriage or a child to elect (an Option A member waits for the eligibility age); a participant has one year to add a later spouse or child at the same level; a member who loses the spouse beneficiary and remarries has one year to decline, resume or raise the base, and silence resumes coverage on the first anniversary; declining ends eligibility for every future spouse. At the eligibility age Options B and C convert to SBP unchanged; an Option A member elects on DD 2656 before the first day of pay or gets full spouse coverage. A member who later qualifies under another retirement law keeps the election until that retirement and then elects anew	10 U.S.C. 1448(a)(2)(A), (a)(5), (a)(6), (g); FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶6.1.1-6.1.3.4, ¶7.3; FMR 7B Ch 43 ¶4.1.2, ¶6.1, ¶6.4; DoDI 1332.42 ¶3.1.d(2), ¶4.4.a-e; DD 2656-8; DAFI 36-3006 ¶2.10.2, ¶2.11.1
S7	A former spouse who existed at the NOE must be elected inside the 90 days (DD 2656-5 with DD 2656-1); otherwise the member can never elect for that former spouse and a later court order will not be honored, except through the former spouse's own deemed election within one year of the order (whether that route survives FMR 43 ¶4.4.1.4 is a counsel question). After a divorce following the NOE, the member may switch spouse coverage to the former spouse within one year of the decree, and the former spouse may deem within one year of the order (DD 2656-10 plus the order); neither = suspended spouse coverage. The base cannot change, former-spouse coverage blocks a current spouse, duration and cost-sharing clauses are disregarded, and a switch back needs a modifying order or the former spouse's notarized consent. The attorney checks G1-G3 run on the order's facts	10 U.S.C. 1448(b)(2)-(3), (b)(7); 1450(f)(2)-(4); FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶3.3, ¶5.2.7.3, ¶6.2-6.3, Table 54-1 Rules 3-6; FMR 7B Ch 43 ¶4.4.1.3-4.4.1.4, ¶4.4.3, ¶5.2, ¶6.2.2; DoDI 1332.42 ¶4.4.a(3), ¶5.1-5.6; DAFI 36-3006 Table 3.2
S8	Participation may be discontinued only in the one-year window beginning on the second anniversary of the date retired pay commenced (signed and received between the first day of the 25th month and the last day of the 36th; the DD 2656-5's '62nd birthday to 63' is right only when pay starts at 60), on DD 2656-2, with the spouse's written concurrence (former spouse: a modifying order or consent); 30 days to withdraw; no refund, no later re-enrollment, and the Reserve Component add-on keeps being deducted for the gray-area coverage already received. A retiree rated totally disabled for 10 years (or 5 years from the last discharge) may withdraw with the beneficiary's consent. Premiums are paid up after 360 months and age 70. There are no regular open seasons	10 U.S.C. 1448a; 1448(b)(1)(B), (D)-(E); 1450(f)(2); 1452(g), (j); FMR 7B Ch 43 ¶7.1-7.4, ¶8.1; FMR 7B Ch 54 ¶6.4-6.6, ¶7.2; DoDI 1332.42 ¶4.6, ¶9.3.b(2), ¶9.6.f; DD 2656-5 Instructions

See them applied in the example report, or read how we build and test the rules on the about and method page. Your personnel center, your unit personnel section and DFAS make the official determinations.