Separation and Retirement - S-1 Procedural Overview

Role and responsibility

The S-1 officer signs by direction on routine separations and routes involuntary separations through legal per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G and MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Volume 11. The S-1 chief tracks every Marine within 12 months of EAS or retirement against the separation processing pipeline per MCO 1900.16MCO 1900.16 Chapter 1 paragraph 1001 (General). The IPAC outbound counselor runs separation briefings, final pay closeout, and DD Form 214 production. The commander signs the separation authority action per the applicable chapter.

Source documents flow from EAS and retirement dates in MCTFS, voluntary separation requests, MMSR-1 retirement orders, MMSR-2 officer retirement and resignation actions, MMSR-4 physical disability determinations, judicial proceedings affecting characterization, and chain-of-command involuntary separation notifications. Transactions land in MCTFS through UD-MIPS per MCO 1900.16 Appendix E (Automated Processing under MCTFS). Outputs include the certified DD Form 214 per Appendix B, the retirement order package per Chapters 2 or 7, the closed OMPF per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K Chapter 3, and the separation pay computation per Chapter 1 Section 3.

Per MCO 1900.16 Chapter 1 paragraph 1003 (Types of Separations), separation types cover discharge for expiration of enlistment, voluntary administrative separation, involuntary administrative separation, retirement, transfer to the FMCR, and physical disability separation or retirement. Per Chapter 1 paragraph 1004 (Characterization of Service), characterization runs Honorable, General (Under Honorable Conditions), Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct, Dishonorable, or Uncharacterized (entry-level).

Sub-pages in this category

• DD 214 Preparation. Chapter 1 Section 2 paragraphs 1200-1205, Appendix B.
• Enlisted Administrative Separations. Chapter 6 paragraphs 6001-6421.
• Enlisted Retirement and FMCR. Chapter 7 paragraphs 7001-7019.
• Officer Administrative Separation. Chapter 4 paragraphs 4001-4107, Chapter 5 paragraphs 5001-5008.
• Officer Retirement. Chapter 2 paragraphs 2001-2012.
• Physical Disability Evaluation System. Chapter 8 Sections 2-6 paragraphs 8201-8608.
• Reserve Separation and Retirement. Chapter 3 paragraphs 3001-3023.
• Separation Pay and Benefits. Chapter 1 Section 3 paragraphs 1301-1312, Appendix K, DODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35.

Trigger events

• Marine reaches 90 days from EAS triggering pre-separation processing per Chapter 1 paragraph 1006 (Time and Place of Separation).
• Voluntary separation request approved by MMSR.
• Involuntary separation initiated under MCO 1900.16 Chapter 6 (enlisted) or Chapter 4 (officer).
• Retirement order received from MMSR per Chapter 7 (enlisted) or Chapter 2 (officer).
• Disability Evaluation System (DES) referral per Chapter 8 paragraphs 8201-8208.
• Court-martial sentence including punitive discharge per Chapter 1 paragraph 1105.
• Reserve component separation or retirement per Chapter 3.

Processing workflow

1. Receive notification. Pull from MMSR, the chain of command, the medical treatment facility (MTF), or MCTFS EAS roster.
2. Determine separation type. Per MCO 1900.16MCO 1900.16 Chapter 1 paragraph 1003, classify the action as voluntary, involuntary, retirement, FMCR transfer, or disability.
3. Apply characterization rules. Per Chapter 1 paragraph 1004 and Table 1-1, set characterization per the facts.
4. Build the separation packet. Per the applicable chapter, stage the documentation. Use Appendix C (Checklist for Separations) for pre-separation interview tracking.
5. Route involuntary actions through legal. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G and MCO 1900.16 Chapter 6 Section 3 Part A paragraph 6303 (Notification Procedures), legal review precedes the separation authority action.
6. Cut MCTFS transactions. Per MCO 1900.16 Appendix E and MCTFSPRIUMMCTFSPRIUM, submit the separation or retirement transaction.
7. Process DD Form 214. Per Chapter 1 Section 2 paragraphs 1200-1205 and Appendix B, produce the DD Form 214 in MOL Document Tracking and Management System (DTMS).
8. Process retirement orders. Per Chapter 7 paragraphs 7005-7007 (enlisted) or Chapter 2 paragraphs 2003-2004 (officer), route retirement orders and certificates.
9. Close OMPF Field Folder. Per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K Chapter 3, close for transfer or retention.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• MCTFS. Master record holding separation status and final pay state.
• UD-MIPS. Cuts separation and retirement transactions per Appendix E.
• MOL Document Tracking and Management System (DTMS). Prepares DD Form 214 per Chapter 1 Section 2 paragraph 1200.
• MMSR (Manpower Management Separation and Retirement). Responsible offices: MMSR-1 (Chapter 1, Appendices D and E), MMSR-2 (Chapters 2, 4, 5, Appendices A, B, C, I, J, K, L, M), MMSR-4 (Chapter 8, Appendices F, G), MMSR-6 (Appendix H).
• DES Workflow (IDES). Per Chapter 8 Section 2.

Forms

• DD Form 214 / 214WS / 214C / 215. Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Per Appendix B.
• DD Form 2648 Pre-Separation Counseling Checklist. Required before separation per MCO 1700.31 (citation hook).
• DD Form 2656 Data for Payment of Retired Personnel. Per Appendix H.
• NAVMC 118 (11) Administrative Remarks. Page 11 documenting separation actions.
• Retirement Order Package. Cut by MMSR per Chapter 2 or Chapter 7.

Common pitfalls

• DD Form 214 produced without pre-separation counseling. Per Chapter 1 paragraph 1011 (Medical Qualification and Health Assessments) and MCO 1700.31, counseling completes before the DD Form 214.
• Involuntary separation without legal review. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G and Chapter 6 paragraph 6303, route every involuntary separation through legal.
• Page 11 omitted on separation action. The OMPF lands incomplete. Cut the Page 11 per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K Chapter 6.
• Final pay closeout not coordinated with disbursing. The Marine separates with unresolved pay. Coordinate with IPAC and disbursing before DD Form 214 signature.

Decision points

• Separation characterization. Per MCO 1900.16MCO 1900.16 Chapter 1 paragraph 1004 and Table 1-1, the convening or separation authority decides per the facts.
• Administrative versus punitive separation. Administrative under Chapters 4 (officer) or 6 (enlisted). Punitive under court-martial sentence per Chapter 1 paragraph 1105.
• Medical extension versus PEB referral. Per Chapter 8 paragraph 8111 (Medical Extension), the medical treatment facility commander recommends extension or referral to DES per the criteria.

Authority

This category sits under MCO 1900.16MCO 1900.16 Marine Corps Separation and Retirement Manual (MARCORSEPMAN) with Change 3 dated 28 May 2025. DoD-level policy at DODI 1332.14DODI 1332.14 (enlisted), DODI 1332.30DODI 1332.30 (officers), and DODI 1332.18DODI 1332.18 (disability evaluation). Statutory authority at 10 USC Chapters 60 (officer separations), 61 (disability), and 65 (retirement). MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Volume 11 covers Marine Corps administrative separations and investigations. JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G sets the JAG Manual sufficiency review. DODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35DODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35 sets separation payments. MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K Chapter 3 and Chapter 6 cover OMPF closeout and Page 11. S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosures 4 and 5. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R events 0170-PERA-2002 (Supervise reporting of involuntary or voluntary separations) and 0111-PERA-2006 (Review separations processes). The IGMC Separation and Retirement FA checklist provides the audit baseline.

Related references

• MCO 1900.16 Chapters 1-8 and Appendices A-M. Authoritative separation and retirement source.
• MCO 5800.16 Volume 11. Marine Corps admin separations and investigations.
• DODFMR Vol 7A Chapter 35. Separation payments.
• JAGINST 5800.7G. JAG Manual sufficiency review.
• MCO P1070.12K Chapters 3 and 6. OMPF closeout and Page 11.
• DODI 1332.14, 1332.18, 1332.30. DoD-level policy.
• MCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosures 4 and 5. S-1 separation responsibilities.
• MCTFSPRIUM. Separation transaction format.
• NAVMC 3500.3E. T-R events 0170-PERA-2002 and 0111-PERA-2006.