Citation
MCO1900.16MarineLeaderCommanderAdministratorVerified May 11, 2026
MCO 1900.16 - Separation and Retirement Manual (MARCORSEPMAN)
Headquarters Marine Corps Manpower Plans Branch (MMSR)
- Effective
- 2019-02-15
- Publisher
- Headquarters Marine Corps Manpower Plans Branch (MMSR)
- Pages citing
- 66
Scope
The Separation and Retirement Manual (MARCORSEPMAN) sets policy on administrative separation and retirement of Marines. The order covers definitions, separation processing, discharge characterization, DD Form 214 preparation, retirement computations, and Reserve component separations. Every separation action a Marine experiences routes through this manual.
Audience
S-1, IPAC, and Manpower Plans personnel process separations daily. Commanders make characterization-of-service decisions under this manual. Marines facing separation use the manual to understand the procedures applied to their cases.
Current change posture
CH 3 is an administrative update incorporating Executive Order 14168 and OPM January 29, 2025 guidance. CH 3 deletes specific gender-identity language in Chapter 1, paragraphs 1002.22 and 1002.32, and related sections. CH 3 is administrative only and does not amend the substantive separation policies set in CH 2.
CH 2, dated 15 February 2019, carries the substantive policy framework. Major CH 2 amendments include.
- Paragraph 1002. Definitions added or refined for Child Abuse, Commander/Commanding Officer, Domestic and Intimate Partner Abuse, and General Court-Martial Convening Authority.
- Paragraph 1011.2. Required Separation History and Physical Examination health assessment for active-duty separations.
- Section 1200. New DD Form 214 accountability, preparation, security, and delivery rules. DD Form 215 sunset.
- Paragraph 1101.7. Updated Service Treatment Record close-out procedures.
- Paragraph 1104. Updated policy on separating alien non-citizens.
- Paragraph 1307.1. Clarified involuntary separation pay eligibility for officers.
- Paragraph 1401.3a(1). Updated creditable-service rules for NROTC midshipman time in active-duty retirement computations.
- Paragraphs 1402 and 1403. New retired and retainer pay policy following sunset of the Career Status Bonus.
- Paragraphs 4103.2 and 6210.8. Mandatory administrative separation processing for violations of Article 1168 of US Navy Regulations 1990 W/CH 1 (intimate-image distribution).
- Paragraphs 4103.3b and 6210.4b. Updates for sexual misconduct articles of the UCMJ effective 1 January 2019.
- Paragraphs 4107 and 6106.5. New dual-processing policy for Marines undergoing administrative separation concurrent with Disability Evaluation System processing.
Authority
Commandant of the Marine Corps publishes the order. Manpower Plans Branch (MMSR) maintains the manual. The manual is mandatory.
References
- MCO 5215.1K. Directives system.
- 5 U.S.C. Section 552a. Privacy Act.
- SECNAVINST 5211.5E. DON Privacy Program. The current revision is SECNAVINST 5211.5F of 2019-05-20.
- SECNAV M-5210.1. DON Records Management Manual.
- MCO 5210.11F. Marine Corps Records Management Program.
Connection to higher policy
- 10 U.S.C. Statutory foundation for separation and retirement. Section 1176 carries career-status protections for enlisted members, and the CH 2 retired and retainer pay updates follow the sunset of the Career Status Bonus.
- DODI 1332.14. Enlisted Administrative Separations. The MARCORSEPMAN is the Marine Corps service-level execution of the instruction.
- DODI 1332.18. Disability Evaluation System. The manual's dual-processing policy at paragraphs 4107 and 6106.5 governs Marines in administrative separation concurrent with DES processing.
- Executive Order 14168 and OPM guidance of 2025-01-29. Drivers for the CH 3 administrative update.
Connection to Marine Corps doctrine and lower policy
- DD Form 214. The IPAC outbound counselor produces the form per Chapter 1 Section 2 paragraphs 1200 through 1205 through DTMS in Marine Online.
- MCO P1070.12K (IRAM). The signed DD Form 214 files to the OMPF per its Chapter 3.
- Portal separation and retirement pages, appellate leave, terminal leave processing, and outbound separation handoff pages source the manual chapter by chapter.
Status
Active. CH 3 is the current published change. CH 2 carries the substantive amendments. Confirm the current version against the marines.mil publication URL above before relying on a specific paragraph.
Aliases the resolver matches
- MCO 1900.16
- MCO P1900.16
- MCO 1900.16 CH 2
- MCO 1900.16 CH 3
- MARCORSEPMAN
- Separation and Retirement Manual
Cited by 66 pages
Inspections (5)
Admin (39)
- Absentee, Deserter, and Confinement Processing - S-1 Procedural Page
- Administrative Actions for Reserve Misconduct
- Administrative Separations Legal Review - S-1 Procedural Page
- Adverse Report Procedures - S-1 Procedural Page
- Appellate Leave - S-1 Procedural Page
- Apprehension and Return to Military Control (RMC)
- Command Investigations - S-1 Procedural Overview
- DD Form 214 Preparation - S-1 Procedural Page
- Disability Severance Pay
- Enlisted Administrative Separations - S-1 Procedural Page
- Enlisted Retirement and FMCR Transfer - S-1 Procedural Page
- Expanded Permanent Limited Duty (EPLD) - S-1 Procedural Page
- Final Pay Closeout and Debt Clearance - S-1 Procedural Page
- Legal Administration - S-1 Procedural Overview
- Light Duty - S-1 Procedural Page
- LIMDU Board and Policy - S-1 Procedural Page
- Limited Duty - S-1 Procedural Overview
- Line of Duty and Misconduct Determinations - S-1 Procedural Page
- MCTFS Detach and Routing - S-1 Procedural Page
- Medical Extension - S-1 Procedural Page
- Officer Administrative Separation - S-1 Procedural Page
- Officer Misconduct and Discipline - S-1 Procedural Page
- Officer Retirement - S-1 Procedural Page
- OMPF and SRB Handover - S-1 Procedural Page
- Operational Restrictions - PFT, Deployability, and PCS - S-1 Procedural Page
- Outbound Interview and Counseling - S-1 Procedural Page
- Outbound Management - S-1 Procedural Overview
- Page 11 (Administrative Remarks) Entries
- Permanent Limited Duty (PLD) - S-1 Procedural Page
- Physical Disability Evaluation System (DES) - S-1 Procedural Page
- Pretrial Confinement and Restriction - S-1 Procedural Page
- Reserve Disciplinary Reporting
- Reserve Separation and Retirement - S-1 Procedural Page
- Separation and Retirement - S-1 Procedural Overview
- Separation and Retirement Handoff - S-1 Procedural Page
- Separation Pay - Involuntary and Voluntary
- Separation Pay and Benefits - S-1 Procedural Page
- Terminal Leave Processing - S-1 Procedural Page
- Unit Responsibilities and LIMDU Re-Evaluation - S-1 Procedural Page
Commander (4)
Marines (16)
- Administrative Separation
- Appellate Leave
- Disability Evaluation System (DES) Process and Outcomes
- Humanitarian Transfer and PTAD
- Involuntary Separations
- Limited Duty (TLD, PLD, EPLD)
- Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP)
- Reserve Retirement (Qualifying Years, Points, Reduced Age)
- Retired Pay and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)
- Retirement Timeline (36 Months Through Post-Retirement)
- Retirement Types and Eligibility
- Separation Pay and Final Pay
- Separations and Retirement Overview and Authorities
- SPD and RE Codes
- Transition Requirements
- Voluntary Separations