Military Law Attorney

Former Board Member and Senior Legal Advisor To:

The Officer Grade Determination (OGD) Board

Air Force Discharge Review Board

I am not accepting new cases.

• Retire in Grade

• Upgrade Your Military Discharge

• Correct Your Military Records

And Help You Win Your Case: Retire in Grade, Upgrade Your Discharge; Correction of Military Records

Officer Grade Determination

You have been investigated for alleged misconduct. Some of it may have been substantiated. This adverse report can affect the rest of your life. You are retiring. You will now undergo an Officer Grade Determination Notification. This means that your military service will determine if you will retire in your current grade. You have been in the military your entire adult life, served your country on remote assignments, deployed to war zones, near death more times than you can count, and you have been separated from your spouse and children for years due to your service to the country. And now everything you have dedicated your life to and worked for your entire life is at risk.

Because of some type of substantiated misconduct — regardless of the seriousness — you will face an OGD. You may retire at a lower rank — a rank you worked day and night to achieve during years of tireless service to your country. While the reduction in rank is one matter, the reduction in pay is also very significant. A reduction in even one grade can mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the span of 20-30 years of your retirement. You paid the price when served with paperwork for your misconduct. You got through that process. Now your financial security and livelihood are at stake.

While on active duty, I was a Senior Legal Advisor and Voting Member on the Officer Grade Determination Board that reviewed OGDs. The Board made recommendations to the Secretary of the Air Force on the grade an officer should be retired. I know exactly what the military looks at when reviewing OGDs. I walk you through the entire process and help build the strongest case possible to ensure you retire in your current grade. I analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your case and target what really matters to the Board.

Military Discharge Upgrade

A bad discharge characterization on your DD 214 can have a devastating impact on your life. You are ashamed to show your DD 214 to prospective employers and when you do, you may not get hired for the job you wanted. It is demoralizing. The words on the DD 214 affect your self-esteem. It does not take into account who you really are and what you did in the armed forces. You are no longer entitled to GI Bill benefits. And, while the VA may have found that you have a service-connected disability such as PTSD or TBI, with an under other than honorable conditions discharge, you are not entitled to monetary benefits. The VA does not even consider you a veteran unless your discharge characterization is under honorable conditions.

You signed up to serve your country and never would have imagined being discharged and leaving the service with a black permanent mark on your record. You now are in a worse position than someone who never even enlisted in the armed forces. Do not give up. There is hope. I will help you get through the process. I know that it is difficult to even discuss the circumstances of what happened because it brings back bad memories.

I have many clients who are just like you. I will help you get your pride back — the pride of serving your country.

While on active duty, I was a Board Member of the United States Air Force Discharge Review Board. I reviewed the cases of veterans who applied to the Discharge Review Board to upgrade their military discharges. I retired from the USAF as a Colonel after serving 22 years as a Judge Advocate, a military prosecutor, defense counsel, Staff Judge Advocate, and Senior Legal Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council and the Discharge Review Board. It is an honor for me to advocate for those who have been wrongly accused, wrongly punished, wrongly discharged, and erroneously labeled on their DD 214.

Correction Of Military Records

If you believe you are a victim of an error or injustice, which is now reflected in your official military records, you can apply to correct your records by submitting an application to the Board for Correction of Military Records for your service using a DD form 149. This may include a request to remove an adverse document from your records or to request a change to your administrative discharge record such as a military discharge upgrade (if the 15-year time limit for the Discharge Review Board has passed). You may also request changes to your record relating to the transfer of Post 9/11 GI Bill educational benefits (TEB) to your dependents or any other change to your official military records.

I am happy to discuss your case and give you my assessment of whether you have a favorable chance to change your official military records based upon an error or injustice and give you a strategy to get the best result.

Ferah Ozbek, Colonel, USAF (retired) served in the United States Air Force as an active duty judge advocate for over 20 years. She continues to practice military law and represents military members and veterans who are facing injustice. She specializes in helping with Military Discharge Upgrades, Officer Grade Determinations, and Correction of Military Records. She represents Active Duty Members and Veterans of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard anywhere in the United States and anywhere in the world.

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