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Does a Military Discharge Appear on a Background Check

MAY 17, 2023 – The military is usually a way for someone to boost or enhance their career via learning skills, following a strict chain of command, and much more.

However, some people may not want their military experience to appear on a background check regardless of why they left the military. In the United States, military records are not always public records, so it’s a potential employee’s choice to keep them private.

That said, military discharge records may become public records if the reason for discharge was dishonorable. Still, this only occurs in rare cases, so it’s important to understand when and why military records become public. We’ll take you through everything you need to know below.

What Is a Military Discharge?

A military discharge occurs when someone is released from their contract or obligation to serve in the military. It’s a normal process that occurs when someone’s time in the military comes to an end, regardless of the reason. Several types of discharge vary based on when the person leaves the military, their experience, and if there were any medical or criminal issues.

What Are the Types of Military Discharge?

Several types of military discharge can happen. These vary from people leaving boot camp to experienced combat veterans getting badges of honor. We list the types of military discharge below:

  • Honorable discharge: Military member received an exceptional rating for military service.
  • General discharge: The soldier was adequate but unable to perform duties. 
  • Other than honorable conditions (OHC): Severe discharge that occurs without a court-martial, crimes are usually committed.
  • Bad conduct discharge (BCD): Crimes committed, time served in prison, and the person loses their military benefits.
  • Dishonorable discharge: Severe crimes committed like sexual assault, rape, or murder.
  • Officer discharge: For officers.
  • Entry-level separation (ELS): Discharged before completing 180 days in the military.
  • Medical discharge: Discharged for medical reasons.

These are the common types of military discharge.

Is a Military Discharge Public Record?

Military discharge records are considered public records with restricted access. This means that employers and government agencies can view the records with the right permissions. These records remain this way for up to 50 years, then they’re normal public records.

On the other hand, bad conduct discharges and dishonorable discharges that are the result of crimes or a court martial will appear as public records.

How to Find Someone’s Military Discharge Information

It’s not always easy to find someone’s military discharge information, especially if they’re not a potential employee applying for a job. Additionally, they have to consent to have non-dishonorable discharge information getting released.

Thankfully, we know about a great public records search tool that will help you find the information you’re looking for. If the case was prolific enough, you may also be able to find it via a Google search.

Information.com

When someone consents to you finding military records or has a dishonorable discharge, you can learn more about what happened with a criminal background check search tool. Information.com has one of the best tools available and we’ll take you through some quick steps to help you maximize it.

  1. First, head over to Information.com and use the background check search.
  2. From there, enter their information into the search tool; you need their first and last name, city, and state.
  3. Scroll through the results until you find the person you’re looking for.
  4. Select “Open Full Report.”
  5. Read through their records until you find information about their discharge.

Keep in mind that this only works if the discharge was dishonorable. It may work in some other unique cases but you’d have to ask the applicant for more information.

Google Search

In prolific cases of dishonorable discharge, you can find information about it with a quick Google search. For example, if you want to learn more about famous cases of military discharge you’ll find it with a Google search. To find more information, enter their name or the incident into a Google search bar.

That said, searching with Google won’t always work. Unfortunately, in less popular cases finding the information may be impossible. Furthermore, the information you find might not tell the whole story because it’s a news article or just a snippet of the records.

Asking the Person/Candidate

One of the best ways to find more information about someone’s military discharge is to ask them about it. When someone is applying for a job you can ask them to provide you with these records. While they’re not forced to comply, many candidates who are proud of their time in the military will provide you with the necessary records.

Additionally, dishonorable discharge records are public records, so when you run a background check on someone it will show up. Just make sure they consent to the background check to avoid any legal consequences.

Find a Military Discharge Record Today

Finding records from a military discharge can be challenging if it wasn’t dishonorable and the applicant wants to keep things private. However, it’s easy to find someone’s records if they were dishonorably discharged.

Regardless of why you need to see someone’s military discharge records, Information.com has all of the tools you need to find them. It’s the best public records search tool around for a reason.

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