Retired Military Members

A waiver is an act of the government to intentionally relinquish its claim against an individual for a debt resulting from erroneous payments of wages or allowances.  Financial hardship is not a consideration for waiver.  Retired military claimants must submit a waiver application to DFAS within 5 years of the date the debt was discovered by a pay official.

Retired member debts incurred after retirement are not eligible for remission.

How to submit

You may request a waiver by completing the DD Form 2789 Waiver/Remission of Indebtedness Application.  To be eligible for waiver you must submit your waiver request within 5 years of the date of discovery of the debt.  The 5 year statute of limitations period begins from this date of discovery.

To apply for a waiver you must:

  • Have a debt established on your pay account.
  • Submit your application to your Retired Pay Office within 5 years of the date the debt was discovered by a pay official. 
  • Agree to the validity of the debt.
 If a debt is disputed, you can ask your Retired Pay Office to conduct an audit before you proceed with the application process.  You can pursue a waiver once your audit is complete.  Please ensure that you attach the results of your audit, and a statement acknowledging the validity of the debt, with the waiver application.

If you are retired and your debt occurred while on active duty, you may submit your application directly to the Remission and Waivers Department.

Documents you should include with the application

Submit all documentation supporting your request and reasoning for waiver.  This could include many different items that vary based on the type of debt you have incurred.  These documents could be the forms you submitted which authorized the payments that caused the debts, Retiree Account Statements (RASs) for the entire debt period, etc.  Documentation we request includes:
VA Form 21-526 Medical Evaluation Board Findings Divorce decree
VA Form 21-651 PDRL / TDRL documents Separatin orders
DD Form 214 CRSC /CRDP documents Disability ratings

Failure to provide these documents may delay consideration of your waiver request.

Where to send your waiver application

If you are a retired member of the military, you must complete and submit the first page of the DD Form 2789, including all supporting documentation to your Retired Pay Office.  Your form must be hand signed and dated.  Retired Pay will submit the application to DFAS for consideration.
Page updated February 28, 2013.