Line of Duty and Misconduct Determinations - S-1 Procedural Page

Role and responsibility

The investigating officer (IO) runs the LOD/Misconduct determination per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0214 (When LOD/Misconduct Determinations Are Required) using the standards in section 0213 (Standard of Proof). The medical treatment facility (MTF) provides medical input and supports the health record entry per JAGMAN section 0222 (How LOD/Misconduct Determinations Are Recorded) and Appendix A-2-m (Sample Line of Duty Health or Dental Record Entry). The convening authority (CA) endorses the determination per section 0223.a (Action by Convening Authority). The general court-martial convening authority (GCMCA) acts on the determination per section 0223.b. The S-1 officer signs by direction on records routing.

Source documents flow from the underlying incident (injury, illness, death) triggering the determination per section 0214, the medical record, the witness statements per section 0207, the misconduct evidence (NJP record, court-martial action), the mental responsibility analysis per section 0217, the intoxication or drug abuse analysis per section 0218, and the disciplinary action record per section 0221. LOD/Misconduct outputs include the IO's determination as part of the investigation report per JAGMAN 0208, the health or dental record entry per Appendix A-2-m, the CA and GCMCA action per section 0223, the SBP and survivor benefit feed per section 0212.c, the disability retirement and severance feed per section 0212.b (cross-referenced to MCO 1900.16MCO 1900.16 Chapter 8), and the reserve-component-specific record per section 0224 when applicable.

Per JAGMAN section 0212 (Why LOD/Misconduct Determinations Are Required), the LOD determination drives disability retirement and severance pay (0212.b), survivor benefits (0212.c), and other benefit determinations. Per section 0213 (Standard of Proof), the standard is preponderance of the evidence. Per section 0215 (What Constitutes Line of Duty), active service injury, illness, or death generally is line of duty unless rebutted. Per section 0216 (What Constitutes Misconduct), misconduct requires intentional or wrongful conduct. Per section 0219 (Relationship Between Misconduct and LOD), misconduct and LOD findings interact per the section rules.

Trigger events

• Service member injury or illness with potential disability impact.
• Death in service triggering JAGMAN 0214.b and Part F sections 0225-0230.
• Suicide attempt or suicide triggering mental responsibility analysis per JAGMAN 0217.c.
• Intoxication-related incident triggering JAGMAN 0218.
• Drug abuse-related incident triggering JAGMAN 0218.c.
• Reservist injury during Annual Training or other reserve duty triggering JAGMAN 0224.
• Refusal of medical or dental treatment triggering JAGMAN 0220.
• Disability evaluation system (DES) referral requiring LOD per MCO 1900.16 Chapter 8.

Processing workflow

1. Identify the LOD/Misconduct trigger. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0214 (When LOD/Misconduct Determinations Are Required), confirm the case requires a determination. Section 0214.a covers general cases. Section 0214.b covers death cases. Section 0214.c addresses the warning requirement.
2. Apply the standard of proof. Per JAGMAN section 0213, the standard is preponderance of the evidence.
3. Determine what constitutes line of duty. Per JAGMAN section 0215 (What Constitutes Line of Duty), the IO analyzes active service (0215.a), active duty in death cases (0215.c), and unauthorized absence rules (0215.d).
4. Determine what constitutes misconduct. Per JAGMAN section 0216, misconduct requires intentional or wrongful conduct. The IO classifies possible findings per section 0216.b.
5. Apply mental responsibility presumptions. Per JAGMAN section 0217 (Mental Responsibility), the general rule presumes mental responsibility per section 0217.a. Suicide attempts or suicides apply special rules per section 0217.c.
6. Apply intoxication and drug abuse rules. Per JAGMAN section 0218 (Intoxication and Drug Abuse), apply intoxication rules per 0218.a, the presumption per 0218.b, and the alcohol or drug-induced disease rules per 0218.c.
7. Apply the LOD-Misconduct relationship rules. Per JAGMAN section 0219 (Relationship Between Misconduct and LOD), the IO connects misconduct findings to LOD findings per the section rules. Examples per 0219.c illustrate the relationship.
8. Address refusal of treatment. Per JAGMAN section 0220 (Refusal of Medical and Dental Treatment), refusal of treatment shifts the LOD analysis.
9. Coordinate with disciplinary action. Per JAGMAN section 0221 (Relationship to Disciplinary Action), the LOD determination interacts with concurrent disciplinary action.
10. Record the determination. Per JAGMAN section 0222 (How LOD/Misconduct Determinations Are Recorded) and Appendix A-2-m (Sample LOD Health or Dental Record Entry), cut the health record entry. Per section 0222.d, command investigation reports document the determination.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• DoD Health Record. Holds the LOD entry per JAGMAN 0222.c and Appendix A-2-m.
• Investigation Report (Type One, Two, or Three). Holds the LOD determination as a Finding/Opinion/Recommendation block per JAGMAN 0208 and 0222.d.
• Convening Authority Legal Records. Holds the certified LOD investigation per MCO 5800.16 Volume 1.
• Disability Evaluation System (DES) Workflow. Receives LOD feed per MCO 1900.16 Chapter 8.
• DFAS Retired and Annuitant Pay. Receives SBP determination feed per JAGMAN 0212.c and 0230.

Forms

• LOD Health or Dental Record Entry. Per Appendix A-2-m.
• LOD/Misconduct Investigation Report. Per JAGMAN 0208 and Appendix A-2-l.
• DD Form 261 (Report of Investigation - Line of Duty and Misconduct Status). Per legacy LOD documentation.
• Mental Responsibility Analysis. Per JAGMAN 0217.
• Intoxication and Drug Abuse Analysis. Per JAGMAN 0218.
• CA Endorsement per JAGMAN 0223.a.
• GCMCA Endorsement per JAGMAN 0223.b.

Common pitfalls

• LOD determination skipped on a qualifying injury or illness. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0214, the determination is required. Skipping it blocks disability and survivor benefits.
• Warning advisement omitted. Per JAGMAN section 0214.c (Warning Required), the witness or member receives the warning. Without the warning, statements lose force.
• Mental responsibility presumption misapplied. Per JAGMAN section 0217, the presumption favors mental responsibility unless rebutted by evidence. Misapplication shifts the finding incorrectly.
• Intoxication presumption misapplied. Per JAGMAN section 0218.b, the presumption applies per the section rules. Misapplication breaks the LOD-Misconduct chain.
• Health record entry omitted. Per JAGMAN section 0222.c and Appendix A-2-m, the entry posts to the health record. A missed entry breaks the benefits feed.
• Reserve component case routed under active rules. Per JAGMAN section 0224, reservists run under specific rules including the interim LOD determination per 0224.a and the statutory authority per 0224.b.

Decision points

• LOD versus Not LOD. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0215 versus 0216, the active service framework presumes LOD unless rebutted. The IO weighs evidence per the preponderance standard in 0213.
• LOD - Misconduct versus LOD - Not Due to Misconduct. Per JAGMAN section 0216.b (Possible Findings) and section 0219 (Relationship), the misconduct finding ties to or stands separate from the LOD finding per the case facts.
• Suicide or suicide attempt outcome. Per JAGMAN section 0217.c, the mental responsibility analysis governs. The presumption in 0217.a sets the default. Evidence rebuts.
• Reserve component path. Per JAGMAN section 0224, the reservist case runs through the interim LOD per 0224.a until the final determination per the section rules.

Authority

This sub-page sits under JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II Part E (Line of Duty/Misconduct) sections 0212-0224. Section 0212 sets the why. Section 0213 sets the standard. Section 0214 sets when. Sections 0215-0216 set what constitutes line of duty and misconduct. Section 0217 sets mental responsibility. Section 0218 sets intoxication and drug abuse. Section 0219 sets the LOD-Misconduct relationship. Section 0220 sets refusal of treatment. Section 0221 sets the disciplinary action relationship. Section 0222 sets how determinations are recorded. Section 0223 sets reviewing authority action. Section 0224 sets reserve component considerations. Appendix A-2-l provides the LOD investigation template. Appendix A-2-m provides the sample health record entry. MCO 1900.16MCO 1900.16 Chapter 8 cross-references disability separation and retirement. MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Volume 1 supplements at the Marine Corps level. S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R event 0102-GENA-1012.

Related references

• JAGMAN sections 0212-0224 and Appendices A-2-l, A-2-m. Authoritative LOD/Misconduct rules.
• MCO 1900.16 Chapter 8. Disability separation and retirement cross-reference.
• MCO 5800.16 Volume 1. Marine Corps legal administration.
• MCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. S-1 investigation responsibilities.
• NAVMC 3500.3E. T-R event 0102-GENA-1012.