🇺🇸 An official website of the Veterans Decision Intelligence Network • DD Form 214 Box 11 & M21-1 Adjudication Standards
Statutory Authority: 38 U.S.C. § 1119 (PACT Act) • 38 CFR § 3.304(f)
VeteransVSO Eagle Seal
VeteransVSO™ v3.1.0
DD-214 Specialty & Adjudication Intelligence Engine
🚨 72-Hr Hospital: 1-844-724-7842 📞 VA Benefits: 1-800-827-1000
🎖️ DD Form 214 Box 11 Specialty • VA M21-1 Noise Concessions • PACT Act TERA

DD-214 Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) & Rating Intelligence

Decode your DD-214 Block 11 Primary Specialty, Block 26 Separation Code (SPD), and Block 27 Reenlistment Code (RE). Instantly map your military service specialty to VA Duty MOS Noise Exposure ratings (HIGH / MODERATE / LOW concessions under M21-1), statutory 38 CFR § 3.304(f) combat presumptions, conceded toxic airborne exposures under 38 U.S.C. § 1119 (PACT Act TERA), and generate pre-formatted nexus statements for VA Form 21-526EZ and Form 21-4138.

🪖
60+
Military Specialties Decoded
🔊
42
M21-1 High Acoustic Concessions
⚔️
18
38 CFR § 3.304(f) Combat Arms
📋
15+
Box 26 Separation Codes (SPD)

📑 Interactive DD-214 Anatomy Inspector (Where to Look)

Click any box below to inspect its VA claim impact
BLOCK 11
Primary Specialty Number & Title
Lists your MOS / AFSC / Rating and duration in months. VA raters cross-reference this against the M21-1 Duty MOS Hearing Loss Table.
⚡ Fast-Track: HIGH acoustic concedes Tinnitus (DC 6260) & Hearing Loss (DC 6100).
BLOCK 12
Record of Service & Deployments
Breakdown of active duty, prior inactive service, and foreign sea/combat service (Line 12f).
📍 Establishes geographic presumption for PACT Act burn pits, Southwest Asia, and Gulf War.
BLOCK 13
Decorations, Medals & Badges
Lists CIB, CMB, CAR, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Submarine Dolphins, Expeditionary Medals.
⚔️ Triggers Combat Presumption under 38 CFR § 3.304(f) for lay stressor evidence.
BLOCK 18
Remarks & Duty Orders
Documents hazardous duty, special schools, blast overpressure exercises, firefighting, and TERA exposure memos.
🛡️ Critical evidence for TERA toxic exposures & airborne hazard presumption.
BLOCK 24
Character of Service
Honorable, General Under Honorable Conditions, Other Than Honorable (OTH), Bad Conduct, Dishonorable.
⚖️ Character-of-Discharge review under 38 U.S.C. § 5303; Hagel/Kurta mental health upgrades.
BLOCK 26
Separation Code (SPD / SPN)
3-letter code defining the exact administrative or medical reason for your separation.
🔍 Determines VA benefit eligibility, disability severance, and discharge upgrade feasibility.
BLOCK 27
Reentry (RE) Code
Indicates future military reenlistment eligibility (RE-1 through RE-4) and waiver requirements.
🔄 RE-1/RE-2 standard; RE-3 requires waiver; RE-4 generally disqualifying for reenlistment.
BLOCK 28
Narrative Reason for Separation
Plain English reason for discharge (Completion of Required Active Service, Disability, Misconduct).
📜 Key evidence in proving in-service medical disability or wrongful personality disorder discharge.
🔍
Branch:
Acoustic Hazard (M21-1):
Showing 60 matching military specialties
Direct M21-1 Table Concession: No baseline audio test required for HIGH MOS
🔍
💡 Veteran Tip: Separation Program Designator (SPD) or Separation Program Number (SPN) codes in Block 26 dictate the administrative authority under which you were discharged. If your code reflects misconduct, personality disorder (JFX), or unsuitability, and you suffered from undiagnosed combat PTSD, TBI, or Military Sexual Trauma (MST), you are eligible for expedited discharge review and character upgrade under the Hagel, Kurta, and Wilkie Secretarial Memos.
SPD Code Separation Authority Title Category Statutory Explanation & Circumstances VA Benefit Impact
🔍
💡 Reenlistment vs. VA Benefits: Block 27 Reentry (RE) Codes govern your eligibility to reenlist in the Armed Forces. Importantly: An RE-3 or RE-4 reenlistment code does NOT automatically bar you from VA Disability Compensation or VA Healthcare as long as your Block 24 Character of Service is Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions!
RE Code Eligibility Status Legal Definition Detailed Regulatory Explanation & Waiver Guidance

🔊 VA M21-1 Duty MOS Hearing Loss Table

M21-1, Part V, Subpart iii, Chapter 1, Section B

The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains an authoritative cross-reference table classifying all military occupational specialties into three noise exposure categories:

  • HIGH Probability: The probability of hazardous acoustic trauma is conceded without requiring in-service medical complaints or baseline audiogram drops. Peak impulse noise exceeds 140-165 dB SPL.
  • MODERATE Probability: Acoustic trauma is deemed likely; lay testimony describing noisy equipment, generators, or flight lines is usually sufficient for C&P exam scheduling.
  • LOW Probability: Requires documented specific in-service acoustic incidents, weapons qualifications, or combat events to substantiate the service-connection nexus.

Diagnostic Codes: Tinnitus is rated at 10% under DC 6260. Sensorineural Hearing Loss is rated from 0% to 100% under DC 6100 based on Maryland CNC speech discrimination and puretone threshold averages.

⚔️ Combat Lay Evidence Presumption

38 U.S.C. § 1154(b) • 38 CFR § 3.304(f)

Under federal statute, if a veteran engaged in combat with the enemy, satisfactory lay evidence that an injury or disease was incurred or aggravated in service will be accepted as sufficient proof of service connection:

  • The Combat Shield: Medical records from forward combat zones are notoriously sparse or lost. Congress created § 1154(b) to ensure combat veterans are not denied due to lack of battlefield medical records.
  • DD-214 Evidence: Award of the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), Combat Medical Badge (CMB), Combat Action Ribbon (CAR), Combat Action Badge (CAB), Purple Heart, or combat MOS in Box 11 satisfies the statutory threshold.
  • PTSD Stressors: A combat veteran's personal statement (VA Form 21-4138) describing combat stressors is accepted as verified without independent corroboration.

🧪 PACT Act TERA Toxic Hazard Concessions

Public Law 117-168 • 38 U.S.C. § 1119

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 established Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) statutory requirements:

  • Mandatory TERA Medical Opinion: If a veteran submits a disability claim and service records show qualifying toxic exposure, the VA must order a specialized TERA medical nexus opinion.
  • Presumptive Airway Conditions: Chronic rhinitis (DC 6522), chronic sinusitis (DC 6516), asthma (DC 6602), and chronic bronchitis (DC 6600) are statutory presumptives for Southwest Asia theater veterans.
  • AFFF & PFAS: Military firefighters (3E7X1, ABF) and flight deck personnel exposed to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam receive fast-track concessions for kidney, testicular, and endocrine pathologies.

📐 The Caluza Triangle: Winning Every Claim

Caluza v. Brown, 7 Vet. App. 498 (1995)

To win service connection for any military disability, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims established three mandatory elements:

  1. Current Medical Diagnosis: Objective medical evidence of a current disability (demonstrated by VA medical records, private treatment, or C&P exam).
  2. In-Service Event, Injury, or Hazard: Documented in Box 11 (Specialty), Box 12 (Foreign Service), or Box 18 (Remarks) of your DD-214.
  3. Medical Nexus (Link): A credible medical opinion stating that it is "at least as likely as not" (≥50% probability) that the current condition was caused by military service.
✅ Nexus statement copied to clipboard!