DD-214 Separation Program Designator
SPD Code JFF
Secretarial Authority
Grounded meaning (1)
Every grounded usage appears below with none picked as the answer. Meanings differ by the service that issued the form and, for some codes, by era. Compare the narrative phrase with the words printed on your own form.
Army
Period not established · Grounded in public official records
Involuntary discharge directed under the service secretary's plenary authority, used when no other separation reason fits. A 2023 record shows the narrative as Secretarial Plenary Authority under Chapter 15 of the current regulation.
The current AR 635-200 (30 June 2025) places secretarial plenary authority in Chapter 15.
On the form
- Narrative reasonSecretarial Authority
- Authority stated in the recordsAR 635-200, Paragraph 5-3
- Separation typeInvoluntary
Public records behind this usage
- Army DRB · 2019Read the record
- Army DRB · 2018Read the record
- Army DRB · 2021Read the record
- Army DRB · 2023Read the record
Authorities and pairings vary by service and era; the citations on your own form govern. Block numbers vary by form printing: this code prints at block 28 on the current Certificate of Uniformed Service and at block 26 on the supported older Army layout. The DD-214 worksheet matches your copy.
DoD does not release the consolidated SPD list publicly, so this entry is grounded only in the public official records listed above, each stating the code together with its meaning.
This page decodes the code; it is not benefits, legal, or reenlistment advice. If the entry on your form looks wrong, the services' Discharge Review Boards and Boards for Correction of Military Records exist to correct records. Benefits questions start at the Department of Veterans Affairs.