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Can a GOMOR Cost Me My Military Retirement?

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Short answer: Yes. A GOMOR can cost you your military retirement in three ways: it can trigger a separation before you reach twenty years, it can lead to retirement at a lower grade, and it can end the promotions that would have raised your retired pay. Civilian military defense lawyer Alexandra González-Waddington of Gonzalez & Waddington advises that the reprimand itself takes nothing from you, the boards that read it do, so your GOMOR response is where you protect your retirement.

In this video, Alexandra González-Waddington explains the three ways a GOMOR threatens your retirement and the steps that protect it.

How does a GOMOR affect my military retirement?

A GOMOR filed in the performance folder of your Army Military Human Resource Record (AMHRR) under AR 600-37 is read by every board that touches your career afterward. For NCOs, that means promotion boards and the Qualitative Management Program (QMP). For officers, it means promotion boards, promotion review boards, and show-cause boards.

None of those boards exists to reward you. Each one exists to decide who should not continue or advance. That is why soldiers with fifteen, seventeen, or nineteen years in are often most at risk.

Can a GOMOR get me separated before 20 years?

Yes. For a staff sergeant through sergeant major, a permanently filed GOMOR can trigger QMP review, and a QMP board can involuntarily separate you before you reach retirement eligibility.

For an officer, a permanent GOMOR often leads to a show-cause notification under AR 600-8-24, and a board of inquiry can separate you before you are retirement-eligible. If you have 18 or more years of active service, sanctuary protections generally let you reach twenty, but you may get there under a cloud and still face a grade determination.

Can a GOMOR lower my retirement grade?

Yes, and many soldiers do not know this risk exists. Officers generally retire in the highest grade in which they served satisfactorily, and a GOMOR in your final years can be used as evidence that your service in your current grade was not satisfactory.

The Army Grade Determination Review Board, under AR 15-80, can then retire you one grade lower. A lieutenant colonel retired as a major loses hundreds of dollars a month for life, and the lower grade appears on the DD Form 214. Enlisted soldiers can face similar grade questions, so treat any grade determination notice as seriously as a court-martial.

Does a GOMOR stop promotions that affect retired pay?

Usually. A permanently filed GOMOR often ends your chances of selection for the next grade. Because retired pay is based on your basic pay, every promotion you miss is retired pay you never receive.

Should I accept retirement in lieu of a board?

Sometimes a command offers a soldier facing a GOMOR and a board the chance to retire right away instead. That can be the right decision, but it can also be a way to move you out at a lower grade before you have fought anything.

Before you sign a retirement request, find out what grade you will retire at and whether a grade determination is pending. Get advice from a lawyer on what you give up.

How do I protect my retirement after a GOMOR?

  • Win the filing decision. Your rebuttal to the GOMOR, arguing for withdrawal or local filing, is your first and strongest chance. A locally filed GOMOR never reaches a promotion or QMP board.
  • Petition the DASEB. If the GOMOR is filed permanently, the Department of the Army Suitability Evaluation Board can transfer it to the restricted folder after a period of good service, generally at least a year, which removes it from the boards’ view.
  • Fight the board. If you are notified for QMP or show cause, respond with your full record, character letters, and evidence of rehabilitation.
  • Answer the grade determination. If a grade determination is started under AR 15-80, respond in writing with the same care you would give a court-martial.
  • Consider the ABCMR. The Army Board for Correction of Military Records, under AR 15-185, can remove a GOMOR that was unjust or in error.

What to do right now

  1. Check your GOMOR referral memo for your response deadline and request an extension in writing if you need one.
  2. Write down your total years of active service and how close you are to retirement eligibility.
  3. Gather evaluations, awards, and letters from senior leaders that support local filing.
  4. Do not sign a retirement request or a board waiver without legal advice on your retirement grade.
  5. Talk to a military defense lawyer about your GOMOR rebuttal before the deadline.

Key takeaways

  • A GOMOR can cost you retirement through early separation, a lower retirement grade, or lost promotions.
  • A permanently filed GOMOR can trigger QMP for NCOs and show-cause boards for officers.
  • A grade determination under AR 15-80 can lower the grade you retire at, permanently reducing your retired pay.
  • A locally filed GOMOR never reaches a board, so the rebuttal is the most important step.
  • If the GOMOR is filed permanently, the DASEB and the ABCMR are later options.

Frequently asked questions

Can I lose my retirement if I have more than 18 years?

With 18 or more years of active service, sanctuary protections generally let you reach twenty, though there are exceptions. The bigger risk at that stage is often a grade determination that lowers the grade you retire at.

Does a GOMOR show up on my DD Form 214?

The GOMOR itself does not appear on the DD Form 214. A lower retirement grade from a grade determination, or a separation with a less favorable characterization, would appear on it.

Can a locally filed GOMOR affect my retirement?

Rarely. A locally filed GOMOR stays at the unit and is destroyed after a set period or when you transfer, so promotion, QMP, and show-cause boards do not see it.

Should I take early retirement to avoid a GOMOR?

Not without legal advice. Retiring in lieu of a board can make sense, but you need to know your retirement grade and whether a grade determination is pending before you decide.

Video transcript

Read the full transcript of this video

Can a general officer memorandum of reprimand cost you your military retirement? Yes, in three ways. By triggering a separation before you reach 20 years, by reducing the grade you retire at, and by ending the promotions that would have raised your retired pay. The reprimand itself takes nothing from you. The boards that read it do. I’m Alexandra González-Waddington, civilian military defense lawyer and co-founder of Gonzalez & Waddington. And this is the question they’re really asking. Here’s the honest answer.

First, the mechanism. A general officer memorandum of reprimand filed in the permanent Army military human resource record under AR 600-37 is read by every board that touches your career afterward. For NCOs, that’s promotion boards and the qualitative management program. For officers, promotion boards, promotion review boards, and show cause boards. None of those boards exist to reward you. Every one of them exists to identify who shouldn’t continue.

Way one, separation before 20. For a staff sergeant through sergeant major, a permanent general officer memorandum of reprimand is a QMP trigger. The QMP board can involuntarily separate you at 18 years with no retirement. For an officer, a permanent general officer memorandum of reprimand routinely generates a show cause notification under AR 600-8-24, and a board of inquiry can separate you at any point before retirement eligibility. If you’re past 18 years, sanctuary protections generally let you reach 20, but you’ll reach it under a cloud.

Way two, retirement grade. This is the one people don’t know. Under Army retirement grade determination rules, both officers and enlisted soldiers retire in the highest grade in which they served satisfactorily. A general officer memorandum of reprimand in your final years is evidence that service in your current grade wasn’t satisfactory, and the Army Grade Determination Review Board can retire you one grade lower. For a lieutenant colonel retired as a major, or a first sergeant retired as a sergeant first class, that’s a difference of hundreds of dollars a month for the rest of your life, and it’s on your DD214.

Way three, promotion. A permanent general officer memorandum of reprimand effectively ends selection for the next grade. Retired pay is a percentage of your final basic pay, so every promotion you don’t get is retired pay you don’t receive.

And a fourth, for those near the end, retirement in lieu of. Commands sometimes offer a soldier facing a general officer memorandum of reprimand and a board the chance to retire immediately instead. That can be the right call, or it can be a way to get you out at a lower grade before you fought.

So, what protects your retirement? The response to the general officer memorandum of reprimand, arguing for local filing, is the first and best chance. A locally filed general officer memorandum of reprimand never reaches a board. If it’s filed permanently, the Department of the Army Suitability Evaluation Board can transfer it to the restricted file after a year of good service, and that removes it from the board’s view. If you’re notified for QMP or show cause, you fight the board with the full record. And if a grade determination is initiated, you respond to it directly with the same care you’d give a court-martial. But, the cheapest win was always the one where the general officer memorandum of reprimand was filed locally in the first place.

So, can a general officer memorandum of reprimand cost you your retirement? Yes. Separation before 20, a lower retired grade, and lost promotions. The response to the general officer memorandum of reprimand is where you protect it. I’m Alexandra González-Waddington, a civilian military defense lawyer and co-founder of Gonzalez & Waddington. We defend service members worldwide facing military investigations, courts-martial, administrative separation boards, and military disciplinary actions. If your career, reputation, or freedom is on the line, you need experienced military defense lawyers fighting for you. When the government builds a case, we build your defense. Visit ucmjdefense.com or call 1-800-921-8607 for a free, confidential consultation.

Talk to a military defense lawyer

Gonzalez & Waddington helps service members worldwide respond to GOMORs and letters of reprimand, Article 15s, investigations, courts-martial, and administrative separation boards. Michael Waddington, a former Army JAG officer, has been a lawyer for over 25 years. Call 1-800-921-8607 or visit ucmjdefense.com for a confidential consultation.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Can a GOMOR Cost Me My Military Retirement?

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