The Boards would have you believe it is as simple as filling out a DD Form 149 and providing one or two sentences as to why your records need to be corrected. In 99.999% cases this is completely insufficient. You have to apply within three (3) years of the date you first discover the “error or injustice,” with a few exceptions. You have to have exhausted all other remedies, too. So, for example, if you are applying to have your discharge upgraded, you first must have applied to the military service Discharge Review Board, and been denied. If you apply to the BCMR without all the necessary evidence the first time and are denied, you have one year to ask for reconsideration. The good news is that in most cases, the Boards will waive the one-year reconsideration limitation if you can provide “new or material” information that was not available to you at the time of the application, or “for good cause shown.” It is in your best interests to provide as much evidence as you can with your first submission so you can get relief from the error or injustice.