DD-214 Separation Program Designator

SPD Code LGH

Non-Retention on Active Duty; Failure to Maintain Acceptable Standards for Retention

Candidate meanings (3)

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

    Release of members the service declined to retain.

    On the form

    • Narrative reasonNon-Retention on Active Duty

    Public records behind this usage

  • Air Force

    Period not established · Grounded in public official records

    Release of members the service declined to retain.

    On the form

    • Narrative reasonNon-Retention on Active Duty

    Public records behind this usage

  • Army

    Historical usage from earlier-era records · Historical usage; never presented as current

    An earlier usage of the code, documented in a 2024 Army BCMR record for an earlier separation, for failure to maintain acceptable standards for retention.

    On the form

    • Narrative reasonFailure to Maintain Acceptable Standards for Retention
    • Authority stated in the recordsAR 635-200, Paragraph 5-31(h)

    Public records behind this usage

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.

Decode the rest of your DD-214 →